


Destiny Works In Strange Ways

by Kizumess



Category: TWRP | Tupper Ware Remix Party (Band)
Genre: Blood, Character Death, Death, Hospitals, Murder, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outer Space
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-02-27 00:41:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 28
Words: 29,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21858508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizumess/pseuds/Kizumess
Summary: Celysts weren’t supposed to die. They were celestial beings made of stardust and sunlight that lived for eons upon eons. But if that was true, then why was everyone he knew dead?
Comments: 4
Kudos: 30





	1. Epidemic

“No, no... this can’t-“ Sung choked back tears and took in quick, shallow breaths. Yellow blood coated his fingernails from where he had scratched himself raw, looking for some way to ground himself. He stared at his wet hands which glistened in the pink sunlight. He couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t understand. Every moment that passed made his lungs and throat ache, made it harder to breathe or even stay conscious. He felt like there was an icy grip around his neck, but his body and mind felt like they were on fire. His heart hammered away in his chest and felt like it might burst.

Celysts weren’t supposed to die. They were celestial beings made of stardust and sunlight that lived for eons upon eons. But if that was true, then why was everyone he knew dead? Countless bodies laid dormant on the streets, in their houses, everywhere. Sung’s whole world was gone, and he was only a child. If he was only a child, then why hadn’t he been taken as well? Was this his punishment for not being like the others? For not being able to sit still or pay attention as well as the other kids? Sung stood on shaky legs, wiping the blood off of his hands and onto his white shirt. He fidgeted with the hem of it, pulling it up to wipe the tears from his eye as he stumbled through the empty town. Realizing after a few minutes that it was now ruined with his own bright yellow blood, he removed the offending article, struggling to pull it over his pointed ears and mop of messy brown hair.

He hugged the cloth close to his chest as he stood in his simple yellow and black suit. The other kids had made fun of him for always wearing his suit, but he thought it was cool; something deep inside of him sparked to life when he thought about space travel, so why was it so strange to wear his space travel suit just because he liked it? More tears aimlessly spilled down his dirty face, mixing with the blood from his scratches as he thought of those kids. Those kids were all gone now, and they didn’t deserve that, even if they had bullied him for being weird. Sung frowned, remembering when his worst bully had called his suit a bad word. _Boring._ The sickening word danced on the tip of his tongue, daring him to speak it into existence. He didn’t know what it meant, but he’d been taught that it meant something bad. Now that he thought about it, he’d heard the adults whispering something that sounded like it after the first people started dying. Boredom? That was it. The word that accompanied shocked gasps and silent tears. The word that was whispered around his flight classes whenever someone else had died.  
“The boredom got them too; it isn’t safe here.” Sung remembered the father of his classmate say one day when he came to pick her up. Her family was found the next morning. Boredom. That’s what people were calling this... this _sickness_ , and it just kept spreading. That was it... Sung had to leave.

“...Mommy? Daddy? Stone?” Sung called to the empty house, knowing a response likely wouldn’t come. He tiptoed through the silent building, making his way to his room.  
“S-Sung?” A quiet voice came from behind him.  
“Stone!” Sung cried turning on his heel, a smile finally spreading on his face as he saw his brother still standing. “Stone, let’s get out of here!”  
“Get out of here? What do you me-“ Stone’s words were cut off by a coughing fit. His brother doubled over, leaning against the wall.  
“Stone! Are you okay?!” Sung was instantly worried for Stone’s wellbeing, trying his best to help him to stand.  
“I’m... Sung, I’m sorry,” Stone gasped. “I don’t think I’m going to make it...”  
“No.” Sung said firmly. “We’re going together. I’m going to get you help!” He guided Stone to the door of his room and leaned him against the wall. “I’ll only be a minute.”

Sung rummaged through his belongings, throwing whatever he thought could be useful into a bag on the floor beside him. Snacks, some water, extra clothing. He threw his dirty shirt aside and tied the bag shut, slinging it over his shoulder. Stone was pale and sickly, that much Sung could tell at first glance. But he had hope that his brother could stay strong, like he somehow had. Sung ran to the door as Stone covered his mouth just in time for another coughing fit.  
“Let’s go.” Sung whispered and Stone responded with a gentle nod.

Stone’s condition didn’t get any better as the two young boys made their way to the ship bay. Stone’s dark hair clung to his sweaty forehead and the glow of his starlike freckles seemed to pulse and fade as he stumbled along with his brother’s support.  
“Sung...?” Stone coughed again, letting go of Sung’s arm as he fell behind. Before Sung could even turn around to look, Stone fell into a rather violent coughing fit and retched.  
Yellow.  
“Stone!” Sung yelled in panic, unsure of what to do. He could only watch in heartbroken terror as his brother coughed up blood. Stone fell to his knees, the yellow liquid spilling from his mouth and staining his clothes. He gagged and continued coughing helplessly, more blood splashing to the ground. Too much blood. Stone grasped at his throat as if to stop the flow of blood, but to no avail. He sobbed, knowing there was nothing he could do at this point to stop his own demise, and that his own brother had to be there to watch. Stone could feel himself getting weaker, and the blood... the blood just wouldn’t stop coming. It felt like something deep inside of him had been set on fire, and the only thing his body could think to do was to purge.  
“St-Stone...” Sung dropped his bag as his legs buckled. He crumpled in on himself as his last bit of hope shattered with the image of his brother bleeding out. There wasn’t anything he could do for him. There were no doctors left alive in the town and there was no way he could get help to come to them. Sung watched in stunned silence as Stone used the last bit of his strength to crawl his way over, though it was more dragging himself over than crawling at this point.

“Sung... please, live. For me...”


	2. Ignition

Sung sat, clutching Stone’s hand as tears rolled down his cheeks. It had been a while since the warmth had left his body and the cold clammy hand being held tightly could never respond again. Sung knew that Stone was gone, that the boredom had taken him like everyone else, but he didn’t want to leave his side. Leaving Stone would mean accepting that he was truly alone. That he was the last Celyst not yet taken. He wanted to curl up next to his brother and cry and scream. He wanted to be taken too, or at least have been taken in Stone’s place. Stone had always been the better brother; he was more talented and everyone liked him better. Whenever Sung was being bullied, Stone would always chase those mean kids away. He didn’t make fun of Sung for being different, he’d always been kind and accepting of his quirks. They’d spend countless nights together on the roof of their house, naming stars and constellations. He’d always been supportive of Sung’s dream to travel farther into space than the others and to find new life, new adventures. Sung wanted to travel to those fantastical places in his imagination with Stone. He loved his brother. But now Stone was dead.

 _“Sung... please, live. For me...”_  
Stone’s last words kept repeating themselves in his mind, filling Sung with a sense of dread. To live... how could he when there was nobody left? His bold decision to leave, along with his bravery, had fallen away with Stone’s dying breath. He didn’t know how far away the next planet was, or if there was even life there! Every time he had been out flying he had never been allowed to stray too far. His decision had been rash and he knew it from the start. But there was nothing left for him here.

After what felt like hours, Sung finally released Stone’s hand. The sun continued its ascent in the pale orange sky with no regard for Sung’s loss. The hot, humid air dried his tears as they gradually stopped falling. The world around him was eerily quiet as time passed around him. He could hear the distant crashing of purple waves on the far shore and the chittering of animals as they began their days without a care in the world. If it weren’t for the several hundred dead Celysts, one could call it serene.

With shaky hands, Sung untied his bag in search of a bottle of water. All of his crying had left him dehydrated and now that the initial shock of the situation was over and his adrenaline had run out, the scratches on his face stung. He poured some water into his hand and wiped off his face the best he could before downing the rest of the bottle. His heart hurt and he felt dizzy, but that didn’t matter. If Stone’s last request was for Sung to live, then that’s what he would have to do. Slinging the bag back over his shoulder after tying it closed once more, Sung lifted Stone’s body in his arms.

Sung laid Stone down in his own bed at their home, pulling the blanket up to cover him. Even if Stone wasn’t there anymore, Sung hoped that he’d somehow find some comfort in being taken care of. He took a deep breath and closed the door to Stone’s room. Now that he had all the time in the world, Sung could actually pack for a much longer trip. He refilled the now empty bottle with fresh water and grabbed more bottles to fill. He raided the pantry for whatever nonperishable goods he could reach, carefully placing them in the bag. Food and water were essential for space travel, you never knew how much you’d need so it was always better to overpack. That was Space Training 101 after all. Sung had always been the top of his class, and he was glad he’d performed so well now. He was going to need all the experience he could get to make it anywhere significant. 

Sung slowly made his way back to the ship bay with a much heavier bag than before. He quickly identified his Firestorm ship that he used for training, pulling out the key to it. It wasn’t terribly large, but it was a generously sized ship to be piloted by a single person. With his key and authentication, the door slid open with a loud hiss. Turning the lights on, Sung set down his bag of supplies. He’d also need fuel for the trip so he quickly set about locating spare canisters of ship fuel to fill up the tank. This was also something he’d need extras of, he mentally noted, lugging a good number of full canisters with him back to the ship. Loading the fuel and his rations into the storage compartment, Sung finally let the door shut. He walked briskly across the ship toward the cockpit, slipping the key into the ignition. He sat in the large chair, securely strapping himself in before turning the key and maneuvering the ship onto the runway.

 _This is it._ Sung thought to himself. _Goodbye everyone, I’m on my way out._


	3. Disease

The engine roared as Sung brought the ship off the ground, accelerating faster and faster into the sky. His hands skillfully flitted to and fro, making sure the Firestorm could be prepared for leaving the atmosphere of the planet. It was a sturdy ship, but he couldn’t let anything go wrong. Not now when Stone’s wish was on the line. Not now when he was the last Celyst not taken by boredom. Not now when he’d be the first Celyst to search for life beyond his planet. Sung knew that it was statistically improbable for them to be the only sentient lifeforms in their galaxy. Even if he was only 9 billion something, he was still one of the smartest pupils their generation had seen. He had a penchant for knowledge, specifically science, and was already quite skilled with his technomancy. But a child was still a child, and Sung was terrified. Being smart meant nothing if he was dead, so he focused his thoughts on flying the ship and his eye straight ahead.

The cosmos whirled before the windshield of the ship as he hurtled forward through space at breakneck speeds. It was incredibly beautiful, Sung thought, being able to see the very stars he watched at night just in front of him. Their brilliant glow a stark contrast against the deafening blackness of the void of space. After flying such a far distance from his home, he finally felt it was safe enough to relax a bit.  
“...Uh, Computer?” Sung called, taking a moment to find his voice.  
_“YES?”_ A robotic voice replied from somewhere within the inner workings of the ship.  
“I’d like to set the ship to autopilot please.”  
_“ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS GRANTED, AUTOPILOT ENGAGED.”_  
Sung sighed in relief, flopping back against the large chair he sat in. He’d made it; this was already farther than any Celyst was willing to fly. The Celysts prided themselves on their peaceful nature and never sought companionship with other life outside of their planet. Sung knew they existed though, they had to. Otherwise why was he out here to begin with?  
“Hey, Computer? Can you uh,” Sung stalled as he struggled to get his words out. “...check for other life?”  
_“YES,”_ came the robotic voice once again. _“WOULD YOU LIKE TO SET A COURSE FOR THE NEAREST LOCATION?”_  
“Oh, yes please!” Sung chirped. He hadn’t actually expected the ship to comply so easily. But now he sat in silence once again.

Some time passed as Sung sat in the cockpit, twiddling his thumbs and watching the stars and satellites fly by. As much as he loved the view of space and could never tire of it, Sung felt a creeping loneliness. He was just a small speck in the expanse of space, floating along in a ship. Completely alone after boredom had taken anyone and everyone he had ever loved. Boredom did this to him, and he didn’t even know what boredom was. He didn’t know how he hadn’t been infected either. Why was he the only one not killed by this thing? The longer he sat in silence with these thoughts, the more uneasy he became.  
“Computer?” Sung began tentatively. “Do you know what boredom is?”  
Sung sat silently for a moment as the ship did not answer his question. The controls’ beeping did seem a bit louder though.  
_“BOREDOM,”_ the ship stated abruptly, causing Sung to jump in surprise. _“IS THE STATE OF DISINTEREST IN ONE’S SURROUNDINGS OR ACTIVITIES.”_  
“...C-can that... can boredom kill people?”  
_“YES. PROLONGED BOREDOM CAN LEAD TO PREMATURE DEATH, AND DRASTIC BEHAVIORS. ANOTHER DEFINITION OF BOREDOM IS THE BOREDOM DISEASE. WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?”_

Sung was shocked by the computer’s answers. Had the Celysts really been killed by a disease? And if they had, did that mean he could be infected as well?  
“Yes! Tell me more about the Boredom Disease!” Sung’s plea was met with more loud beeping.  
_“THE BOREDOM DISEASE STEMS FROM BOREDOM ITSELF. NOT MUCH INFORMATION IS KNOWN ABOUT HOW IT SPREADS, BUT ONCE THE HOST HAS BECOME BORED FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME, THEY MAY BEGIN EXPERIENCING EXTREME FATIGUE, SPIKES IN BODY TEMPERATURE, NAUSEA, AND IN THE WORST CASES, INTERNAL HEMORRHAGING AND BLEEDING. THE BOREDOM DISEASE IS LETHAL TO EMPATHIC BEINGS. ONLY KEEPING ONESELF FROM BOREDOM CAN PREVENT CONTAMINATION.”_

He could only shake his head in disbelief. _Celysts were empaths_ , which meant that he had somehow managed to avoid the disease. Unless...  
“Computer, can you um... scan me for the Boredom Disease?”  
After a moment, a bright red light flashed from the console in front of Sung causing him to squint. It scanned over him, moving up and down his body in silence as he sat as still as he could.  
_SCAN COMPLETE. 0% INFECTION RATE DETECTED._

Before Sung knew it he was crying again. Not only had he determined what killed everyone, but he was perfectly fine. It was like a curse had been placed upon him. But at the same time, it meant that he was okay, that he could survive. And for now, that was okay. Because as the initial fear left his body, Sung finally realized how tired he truly was. The young boy succumbed to exhaustion and fell into a deep rest, one that he desperately needed after all this.

_”SEARCH COMPLETE, SETTING COURSE. DESTINATION WILL BE REACHED IN APPROXIMATELY 19 HOURS.”_


	4. Yulloth

Sung sat on the warm sand of the beach near his house and watched the purple water lap at the shore. The waves were gentle and he watched from afar as his classmates played in them. The sun was setting and the moons were beginning to rise as the sky faded from orange to a deep violet. Someone was sitting next to him. Stone smiled a toothy grin as he laid back in the sand, not caring about how messy his hair would get like Sung always did. His gaze was fixed on something far away, past the sky. His freckles glowed softly in the twilight, an organic recreation of the stars he loved to watch at night.  
“It’s going to be a clear night tonight, perfect for stargazing.” Stone sighed happily. He’d always loved watching the stars despite having no desire to fly among them in any ship.

Sung felt like he was watching from inside a glass cage. He could see and hear what was going on, but he was being held back. He wanted to tell Stone that they’d go stargazing, that they could stay up all night sharing stories and laughing, but this wasn’t right. His voice would never reach him anyway. His head hurt, his heart hurt. This had to be fake. He wanted to tell Stone to run away with him. To run before he got sick and died right in front of him. There was so much he wanted to say, but the words wouldn’t come out. They tangled together and stuck in Sung’s throat, choking him to keep him silent.  
_Please,_ Sung pleaded. _please let me talk to him! I can save him! I can save everyone! So please-_

Sung woke with start, tears streaming down his face once again. He pulled his legs up to his chest and sobbed. Why did his dreams have to show him that? He wanted Stone back. He didn’t want to be alone like this. He played the last part of his dream over and over in his head. He wanted desperately to find a way to turn back time, to rescue all of them. But he knew that it would never be that simple. Even if time travel was possible, it wasn’t like he could singlehandedly stop their boredom. A way of thinking had evolved into a disease that killed the Celysts. When he thought about it, it almost seemed like they had been doomed from the beginning.

A soft beeping pulled Sung from his thoughts, bringing his attention back to the ship. There was an image and a single word on the display in front of him. _Yulloth._  
“Computer, what is... Yulloth?” Sung asked quietly, trying his best to wipe the tears from his face.  
_“YULLOTH IS A SMALL PLANET KNOWN LARGELY FOR SHIP DOCKING AND TRADE. WEATHER CONDITIONS ARE STABLE AND INHABITANTS ARE STATISTICALLY SHOWN TO BE 96% AMIABLE. TIME UNTIL ARRIVAL: 1 HOUR.”_  
Sung was floored. In the time he had managed to pass out in, the ship had actually found a planet to go to. A planet with life. His entire world had been flipped on its head in a matter of hours and Sung didn’t know what to do. There wasn’t much he _could_ do at this point besides listen to the ship and prepare himself.

“One hour?!” Sung shouted. “One hour! No no no I’m not ready!” The boy paced around the ship nervously, gripping a bottle of water tightly in his hands. Sung was incredibly excited, but also incredibly fearful. He’d never been to another planet before! But he’d been right! Oh, there was so much to think about but an hour wasn’t very long at all! So he kept pacing about as he worried over every little thing. Breathable air wasn’t going to be a problem since Celysts could naturally breathe in space. The vacuum didn’t affect their bodies in any way, it was something about them being made of stardust? Sung couldn’t remember. Oh, but what if they didn’t understand the way he spoke!? That would be a problem and then they would definitely kick him out! And the computer had said that the inhabitants were only 96% friendly! What if he met the other 4%?  
_“ARRIVING AT YULLOTH IN 30 MINUTES.”_ Sung jumped as the computer spoke calmly. Pushing past his nerves, he ran to the nearest window to look outside.

It didn’t take long for Sung to spot the planet at all. It didn’t appear to be much larger than the biggest moon they had back home. Most of the planet appeared to be green with plant life and he could see pink, winding rivers. Yulloth was beautiful but it didn’t do much to ease his nerves. Sung hurriedly repacked his bag as the ship began its descent. He made his way back to the pilot’s chair and strapped himself in, repeating the same line over and over.  
_“My name is Sung, I come from Stellaisan. My name is Sung, I come from Stellaisan. My name is Sung, I come from Stellaisan.”_

Sung sat perfectly upright in his chair as he pulled the ship into the docking bay. The engine’s purr quieted until it came to a stop. Sung instantly unbuckled his seatbelt and grabbed his bag, scurrying to the door. He fidgeted impatiently as the door opened for him to leave and nearly tripped over the edge when it slid away. Sung was greeted by a large alien man with grey skin, four arms, and white hair. He stared down at sung with a scowl on his face.  
“Oh no, the 4%!” Sung whispered to himself.  
“What was that?” The man asked in a gruff voice. His muscular form towered over Sung, causing him to slink back into the shadows of the Firestorm.  
“I-I-I am!” Sung stuttered nervously. “M-my name is... Sung! I come from Stellaisan!” He yelled.  
“Stellaisan, huh?” The man repeated staring down at Sung. “Never heard of the place. You’re a bit small, ain’tcha? You a kid?”  
Sung nodded in reply, clutching the strap of his bag tightly. “Mhm...”  
“Oh gods, where are my manners ‘en?” The tall man knelt down on one knee, bringing his face level to Sung’s. “The name’s Rakken. Now, who’re you traveling with?” He asked, peering into the open door of the ship past Sung.  
“Um, actually... it’s just me. I flew by myself.”  
“By yourself?!” Rakken gave a great bark of laughter. “Do all kids on Stella-whatsit know how to fly a ship like you? Or...” Rakken looked Sung up and down, taking note of the large bag over his shoulder and his skittish demeanor. “are you runnin’ from something?”  
Sung opened his mouth to protest, but couldn’t think of any way to defend himself.  
“Look kid, it was Sung, right?” He waited for Sung to give a small nod before continuing. “Sung, do you have anywhere to stay here on Yulloth?”  
“...No sir.”  
“Alright then, let’s get some things sorted out for you. Follow me.”


	5. Customs

The inside of the ship bay was much larger than Sung had expected it to be and ships of various sizes and shapes sat lined up. He’d never seen so many ships gathered in one place before and seeing the multitude of designs and colors filled his little space nerd heart with excitement. But he couldn’t forget why he was here; the memory of his dying planet stuck in his head, burning its way into the back of his mind.  
“Whe-where are we going?” Sung asked as he followed a few paces behind Rakken. The two hadn’t been walking for very long, but the silence made Sung anxious.  
“Customs,” Rakken grunted. “s’where I work. It’s been a slow day and I’m the only guy on duty right now.”  
“What do you do at customs?”  
“Not much, just check folks and their luggage. Make sure nothing dangerous comes in.”  
“Do you think I’m dangerous?” Sung asked, tightening his grip on his bag nervously.  
“Nah, just part of the job. And you? Unless you’re packing heat in that bag of yours you should be fine.”  
“How do you pack heat?” Sung tilted his head in confusion. “You can’t touch temperature, can you?”  
“Ha! No you’re right, you can’t touch it. Don’t worry about it kid, it means something else.” Rakken laughed as he stopped in front of a door. He pulled a key from his pocket to unlock it and led Sung inside.

Rakken leaned over the desk, folding his four arms over themselves. Sung sat across from him, his bag on the floor.  
“So Sung, what brings a kid like you here to Yulloth?”  
Sung stared down at his dirty white shoes as he thought of what to say but the words wouldn’t come. His mind raced as he kept his gaze downward. Even if he told the truth, what was he supposed to say? He stared down at the faded and scuffed red rug, at his faintly stained hands and the bright freckles on the back of them. It wasn’t like it would do him any good to lie, right?  
“I... I had to leave home.” He managed without making eye contact.  
“In a coming of age sort of way?”  
“No,” Sung shook his head. “no I... my family... everyone got...” sung couldn’t say much before the tears were back, threatening to overflow as his voice got stuck in his throat. He was growing to hate this feeling that he’d been stuck with. The empty feeling in his chest and the heat behind his eye. He wanted to hold himself back but he couldn’t bear to keep anything inside in this state.  
“Oh no no, don’t cry!” Rakken fretted. “Look, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to. I just need to know if you’re in trouble. Is uhhh, is anybody following you or anything?”  
“N-no...” Sung shook his head again as the tears began to fall. “I just don’t... I don’t know what to do or-or where to go!”  
Rakken sighed with worry as two of his arms set about typing something on a computer. “...Where’d you say you were from?” He asked gently, hoping to get at least something out of this question.  
“Stellaisan...”

Rakken fell silent for a good few minutes as he typed at a rapid pace on his keyboard. He’d pause, scan over the screen, and begin typing again in a feverish loop. He seemed to be at a loss as whatever he was searching for continued to elude him.  
“...Look kid, I’m not seeing a single record for this Stellaisan planet having any log of interplanetary travel. I can’t even determine if this place exists besides what you say.“  
“Nobody ever left to look for other planets...” Sung stated, his voice barely above a whisper as the tears kept falling. “We had everything we needed back home.”  
“But you left and now you’re here. Do you even have any plans?”  
“Plans...” Sung echoed back. He hadn’t thought that far ahead, he hadn’t even expected to find another planet with life so quickly. In all honesty, he had no idea what to do next. “...I don’t know.”  
“Well, do you at least plan on staying? ‘Cause uh...” Rakken looked back at his screen as his words trailed off. “I know it’s sudden, but my apartment’s got a guest room and I doubt you have much money on you.”

Sung glanced down at his bag on the floor. He’d only packed the bare essentials for this trip. He’d never had a need for money back home so he never thought to bring any. Of course finding a place to stay would cost money, that was an adult thing. Sung had only just met Rakken, but he’d let him stay, if only for a little while, that was better than being on the streets alone. Sung wiped the tears from his eye and swallowed his fears. He really didn’t have anything to lose.  
“C-can I please stay with you then, sir? At least until I know what to do?”  
“Of course, that’s why I brought it up.” Rakken smiled, and if Sung hadn’t been so jittery he was sure it would have been comforting. Rakken pushed his chair away from the desk, briefly stretching his arms before standing up. “Y’know what? Let’s take a walk around town. Might help get your mind off.”  
Sung considered Rakken’s offer. He was certainly curious about his new surroundings; he’d only seen the interior of Yulloth’s enormous ship bay. They hadn’t even needed to venture outside to reach Rakken’s office. He’d only seen sterile, white walls and tiled floors. The view from his ship had promised rivers and forests and Sung had to admit that he was a bit eager to explore.  
“I think I’d like that.”


	6. Market

Rakken had been worried about the obviously fearful young boy when he’d come into the port. He’d never been the best around children since his appearance and angry resting expression scared even the adults that knew him, so Rakken could understand Sung’s initial fear. But hearing him say that he was alone? That was a bigger cause for concern. Even if the planet this boy had traveled from had allowed their young to recklessly travel into space alone, it was still dangerous. There was also the puzzling issue of what race Sung belonged to. He’d been working this position for decades and seen what he’d assumed was every kind of alien in this galaxy. There weren’t many cycloptic races to begin with, and the ones he’d seen certainly looked nothing like Sung.

But what really put Rakken on edge was how distraught the boy seemed. He looked tired and fragile, as if he’d shatter to pieces if someone simply bumped into him. He’d already cried openly in front of Rakken, and it made his heart hurt just to see him like that. Those weren’t the tears of fear or sadness, there had been pure despair on his face. From what he could tell from an outside perspective, Sung appeared to be grieving and he could guess that he was likely running to escape his pain. But he wouldn’t push. No, that would only make him more upset and likely to shut himself off. Besides, that was no way to treat a kid! He’d offer him help and get to the bottom of this mystery in time. And if Sung turned out to be dangerous? He’d... deal with that when it came up.

Rakken strolled next to Sung, lost in his own thoughts. He kept an eye on Sung, but he certainly had plenty to worry about. Sung on the other hand, was instantly captivated as soon as they’d stepped outside. The streets were lined with colorful vendors, their brightly decorated stalls boasting plants, handmade goods, and foods that Sung had never seen before. The air smelled amazing as it carried the warm scents of exotic cuisine and elegant floral arrangements. Every one of Sung’s senses were piqued and a smile had wormed its way back onto his face. He excitedly tugged at one of Rakken’s hands, pulling the man along as he made his way up to a stall.  
“Ra-Mr. Rakken? What’s that?” Sung asked as he dragged Rakken along. “And that? And that!”  
Rakken laughed as he picked up his pace to match Sung’s. “One thing at a time, kid!”  
Sung enthusiastically bobbed and weaved his way through the crowd of people. He was overstimulated but was loving every second of it. The new sights and smells drew him closer and pulled him out of his dark thoughts. Banners with words in languages he didn’t know flapped in the gentle breeze and children ran past him playing with wooden toys. Just hours earlier he’d had no proof of sentient life past Stellaisan, and now he stood in the middle of a bustling marketplace full of so many kinds of people that it made his head spin. He could feel the positive energy flowing out of the crowd and it made him giddy with joy. Rakken sighed a breath of relief as he saw so much life return to Sung’s face. It was like someone had flipped a switch and the boy had gone from depressed to ecstatic in such a short period of time.

“Is this some kind of festival?!” Sung chirped, spinning on his heel to face Rakken.  
“Nope,” Rakken shook his head. “s’like this every day here, kid.”  
“IT IS?!” Sung shouted excitedly. “But, this-this place is amazing and all the food and colors and the lights!” Sung twirled around, taking in his surroundings. Tall buildings lined the streets and lanterns of varying colors and shapes hung on strings between them, dipping over the street market, far above their heads. The sun appeared to be setting in the distance, casting the sky in a brilliant magenta glow, mixing with the soft clouds that laid lazily above the planet. Some adults were grouped together as they leaned against the side of a building and smoked pipes that gave off colorful smoke. The children darted from place to place, most without any supervision as they excitedly played with their friends. Tall trees with thick, blue trunks and green leaves grew out of the packed dirt in the middle of the roads as people walked around them, rested in their shade to talk, or sat high up in the branches. Off in the distance, Sung could see what he assumed to be a forest with a tall canopy of large green leaves. This place was _breathtaking_ and Sung suddenly couldn’t wait to explore.  
“Hey, Sung,” Rakken reached down to tap him on the shoulder, snapping him out of his reverie. “you want to get some food?”  
“Food? Oh no, I couldn’t really! I don’t have money to pay with. And-“ Sung paused, patting his bag confidently. “I have rations, so don’t worry.”  
“Rations, huh?” Rakken scoffed and crossed his arms. “You’re not having _rations_ on your first night here in Yulloth, not if I can help it.”  
“But! I should be able to pay for it!” Sung protested.  
“No buts. You’ve got no money and you just showed up here. I appreciate you wanting to pay, but dinner’s on me.”  
Sung opened his mouth to argue but was quickly silenced by an affectionate pat on the head. “Okay.” Sung sighed as he gave in.  
“Alright then, what are you in the mood for?”

Sung stared intently at the banners and signs of the food stalls. Most of the words were a complete mystery to him, but he could parse some meaning out of specific keywords. He walked back and forth, investigating the menus as if he’d suddenly be able to read them.  
“Having trouble reading?” Rakken asked as he watched this go on. Sung quietly nodded in defeat. “Okay, I’ll read these for you then. This vendor is selling dried meats and fruits. You see that one over there? She’s selling fried foods and sweets. Across the street, you’ve got fresh fruits and vegetables, grilled meats, and fish. Can you decide between those?”  
Sung watched as Rakken pointed from vendor to vendor and explained things to him. He didn’t know what to choose and he didn’t want to waste Rakken’s money, but everything sounded good. “F... Fried food?” Sung questioned with a tilt of his head. “I don’t know what it means but it sounds good.”  
Rakken grunted in approval and walked over to the stall with Sung close behind him. The woman behind the counter waved at Sung as they approached and he shyly waved back.  
“Excuse me, miss,” Rakken greeted as she shifted her gaze to meet his eyes. “Is there anything on the menu that you’d recommend to someone who’s never had fried food before?”  
“First time?” The woman chirped, peering down at Sung as he nodded. “Hmmm, how about mourpecker wings? Or fried kiodarin balls if you don’t want meat?”  
“What is... key-oh-dah-rin?” Sung asked, pronouncing the new word phonetically.  
“He’s new here,” Rakken explained to the woman. “kiodarin is a kind of sweet fruit. Would you like that?”  
“Yes please!” Sung smiled. “I’d like to try kiodarin!”  
“Understood, what about you?” The woman asked Rakken as she began scribbling the order down.  
“I’ll have the same. Make that two orders of fried kiodarin balls.”  
“Thank you, your order will be ready soon, sir!”

Rakken watched Sung jump about with glee as they waited for their food. The sky was getting steadily darker and the single moon was beginning its ascent in the sky. The stars were becoming visible as the night transitioned from magenta to a shade of dark blue. Hundreds of lanterns had been lit to keep the marketplace illuminated in the dark and Sung aimlessly spun around as he watched them sway back and forth.  
“Two orders of fried kiodarin balls!” Called the woman from behind her counter. Rakken walked back over to her stall and produced a handful of coins from his pocket to pay for their meals.  
“Sung!” Rakken called as he walked over to where the boy was standing under the lights. “The food is done. You want to sit over there and eat?” Rakken pointed to a tree growing at the side of the road. It was out of the way and nobody was sitting there, but it looked like it’d still have a decent view of the market. Sung nodded and walked over to the tree with him.

Sung stared at the paper bag Rakken had handed him once they had sat down. He could feel the hot contents through the bag and the food smelled great.  
“You gonna eat those before they get cold?” Rakken teased with a smirk.  
“Of course!” Sung replied, pulling the bag open as steam rushed out in a puff, swirling into the night sky. He reached into his bag and pulled out a ball of fried batter. Sung stared at it curiously before slowly taking a bite. He gasped in surprise when he saw the inside. “It’s blue!” Sung yelled out. “Kiodarin is blue?!”  
Rakken gave a great barking laugh at Sung’s outburst. “Yes, kiodarin is blue.”  
Sung stared down at the batter-fried ball of blue fruit in his hands with a look of pure amazement. There were so many new things he’d seen today and every new discovery made him more excited and curious about the next. The kiodarin fruit was sweet and a bit sour and Sung found himself enjoying it more with each bite.

Deep down, Sung knew that he shouldn’t be this happy. He knew that he didn’t deserve to have so much just... given to him after what he’d just seen. But he couldn’t deny the happiness he felt swelling in his chest. He felt like he was betraying the people he’d left in a way, but this is what they’d want for him, right?  
“You alright, Sung?”  
Sung looked up at Rakken in confusion for a moment before he realized he’d begun tearing up. He quickly wiped away the tears before they could fall and nodded his head. “Yeah, I’m just... I don’t know? I’m happy, but sad at the same time? It feels wrong.”  
Rakken looked up at the moon and sighed. “I get what you mean. And it isn’t wrong to feel that way. I know you have your secrets, and I’m not going to make you tell me, but you gotta know that it’s okay to feel what you feel.”  
Sung sat in silence as he folded the empty paper bag over and over in his hands. He contemplated Rakken’s words, playing them on repeat in his mind and mixing them with his brothers’.  
“Sometimes,” Sung spoke softly without lifting his head. “feelings are hard. Do you know what being empathic means?”  
“Empathic... yeah I’ve heard the term before. People who are empathic can uh, share or feel the feelings of other people, right?”  
“Yeah, well... I’m an empath okay? So, I don’t know... sometimes I feel too much? So I don’t know what’s the normal amount to feel.”  
“Hm.” Rakken grunted as he glanced down at Sung.  
“...Hey, can I ask you a question?”  
“Go for it.”  
“Why... why have you been so nice to me? You don’t know me, and I don’t feel anything... _bad_ from you. So why?”  
“Well I don’t know how things are where you’re from, but here on Yulloth, we make it a point to be as kind to others as we can be. If someone lost something, people will look for it. If you need help with anything, someone will be willing to help. Sure, there are a few bad seeds who don’t listen to all that, but people are people. You never know who’s day you’re making better, y’know?”  
Sung looked up at Rakken as he spoke, something about the kindness he was preaching resonated deep inside of Sung and he felt like he could understand this way of life. “Kindness can go a long way...” Sung mused.  
“Exactly. Now, how’s about we head back to my place so we can get that guest room set up?”

Sung and Rakken walked side by side through the market as the customers left for their homes and the vendors began closing up. The stars twinkled overhead, their beauty still unmatched by everything below, and they captivated Sung as he walked with his head held skyward. There was less excitement now that the sun had set and many of the young children had left with their parents, but the locals remained to play games on the emptying roads. The town was serene at night, the lanterns gently bobbing on their strings and the leaves of the tall trees rustling every so often. Lights were being turned on inside the homes that they passed, their occupants settling in for the night before coming back out in the morning. Sung felt... peaceful. But there was something not quite right. Something dragged Sung from his peaceful thoughts and made his heart race.  
“...Mr. Rakken? What’s that sound? Where’s it coming from?” Sung’s ears twitched, trying to pinpoint the vague sound floating on the open air of the town. He didn’t know what it was, but he couldn’t get himself to calm down. This noise had him excited and anxious at the same time and something inside of Sung’s mind _needed_ to find the source.  
“Sounds like it’s coming from the square-“  
“Please take me. I need to know what that is!” Sung insisted, trying to hold back his sudden desperation. He’d never felt this way before and he didn’t know why he even wanted to find the source, but it manifested as a strong primal urge that drove him forward. Rakken’s words were a blur in the back of Sung’s head as he lead the way more than followed. His hands trembled and he clenched them into fists in an effort to have some sense of control. It was like this sound had hypnotized Sung, drawing him in and eating away at his common sense. Rakken was here, he believed he could trust Rakken. But here he was, throwing himself towards this unknown sound with reckless abandon.

Sung skidded to a stop as he came to a clearing. He hadn’t realized that he’d been running or that he was out of breath, he just needed to find what he was looking for. And this was it.  
“Sung!” Rakken yelled, chasing after him. “Sung, what’s gotten into you all of a sud-“  
Rakken stared in confusion as Sung stumbled forward, towards the source of the sound.

“...Buskers?”


	7. New Experiences

Sung found himself drawn in by the strange sounds the group in front of him were making. He didn’t understand what they were doing, or why that girl was talking like that. Was it a dialect he didn’t know? Why was that man hitting those round boxes? What were those people picking at strings doing? Sung didn’t understand, but he liked the way it sounded together. He stood a few feet away from the group, lost in the sound. He could vaguely tell that there was a small crowd around him, likely there for the same reason, but he didn’t care. He was transfixed by the performance, swaying on his feet.

As the buskers eventually stopped playing, Rakken made his way through the crowd. Sung seemed to become more lucid after the performance had ended, but he was still standing at the front of the crowd, staring in awe. The girl, the one who had been talking strangely, noticed Sung’s excitement during their show and stepped forward to speak with him.  
“Glad you liked our set, little dude!” She chuckled, reaching her hand out for Sung to shake. It took him a moment before Sung took it and responded vigorously, causing her to laugh more.  
“That... that was amazing! What was that, those sounds you guys were making?”  
“Our music?” The girl asked with a raised eyebrow.  
“Music...” Sung repeated.  
“Wait, are you tellin’ me you don’t know what music is? You don’t got it where you’re from?!” She stared down at Sung in shock as the boy shook his head. She looked past him and up at Rakken, who was standing just behind Sung now. “You, are you this kid’s guardian?”  
“Uh-I’m...” Rakken stammered out at the sudden question.  
“Do this kid a favor and let him hear more music, a’right?”

Sung stared blankly up at the sky as he was consumed by his thoughts once more. Only this time it felt... pleasant. Music. He’d never heard music before and still had little idea what it was, but something about this experience really _got to him._ It gave off a kind of sparking energy that coursed through his veins and made his heart beat faster. It made his hair stand on end and legs falter, as if they were compelled to move on their own without his consent. His days on Stellaisan were quiet and peaceful but he’d always felt like something was amiss. Peace was all his people had known and all they preached. The cacophonous ambiance of this town... it felt so right to him. It reminded him of himself in a way: full of energy and too much light. Filled to the brim with excitement and curiosity, wholly unable to sit still. And now there was this _music_ that had suddenly thrown Sung’s mind for a loop. He needed to know more; he craved information. But he didn’t know where to begin.

Rakken rested a gentle hand on Sung’s shoulder as he waved farewell to the girl he’d been speaking with. Sung didn’t appear to be in his right mind at the moment, and he didn’t know where he was going anyway. Rakken turned him around and gave him a pat on the back, letting him know that they were leaving now. Of course he was concerned for Sung after that chaotic chase which led to his current state, but one look at the boy’s face told him he’d be alright. Sure he was completely lost in the clouds, but he had this dopey smile on his face that made his happiness and excitement earlier in the day look like nothing.

“Well, this is it.” Rakken announced as he unlocked the door to an apartment on the third floor of a complex. It wasn’t much to look at but had all of the essentials needed for a comfortable life. Rakken led Sung inside and waited to close the door after them. Sung stood in place, watching Rakken as he walked across the room towards a closed door. Sung had come to his senses at some point during their walk, and now that the day was over, he was truly exhausted. He had no idea how long it had been since he’d come here. He knew that it was still the same day, but it felt like ages since he’d first left his ship. Left his ship... it baffled Sung to think that he’d really come to another planet, that so much had happened and that he’d found a free place to stay. He wanted to thank Rakken again, but he couldn’t focus enough to make the words come out.  
“Mm.” Sung hummed as he slowly walked towards Rakken who was busy setting out bedding in an otherwise empty room.  
“You’ll be sleeping in here, alright?” Rakken smiled as Sung nodded sleepily. He could tell that Sung was tired beyond the point of formalities and thought it best to just let him sleep. He circled around the tired boy, slipping out of the room. “Good night, Sung.”

Rakken switched off the light to his own room before laying on his mattress and pulling a light blanket over himself. He stared up at the plain white ceiling as thoughts ran through his head, keeping the man awake despite how tired he’d become. It had been quite some time since he’d had company and it made his own home feel foreign to him. Of course, he’d offered temporary boarding before, whether it was for travelers who’d come by without any plans who’d later decided to stay, or those simply in need of shelter. But it had been years since anyone else had last set foot into this house. Rakken honestly didn’t know if that was a good thing or not. Sure, it caused less trouble to have strangers around, but he’d always felt a calling to help those in need. Rakken wasn’t always the best at determining whether or not these strangers had good intentions, but he’d always hoped that showing some kindness would be enough to earn some in return. And now this led him to Sung, a young traveler who’d come here by himself. There was so much he wanted to know, so much that he wanted to ask Sung about, but he knew that he shouldn’t. Why had he come here? Why Yulloth? There were plenty of other planets that he could have chosen to visit, and it certainly didn’t seem like he’d come as a tourist. His initial timid demeanor and cloth bag full of what he’d called _rations_ earlier, it reminded Rakken of a child running away from home. But something else, something illogical stuck in the back of his mind. Nothing more than fantasies; childhood stories that he’d been told as his parents sent him to sleep so, so many years ago. It was such a stupid thought, Rakken wanted to put it aside immediately, but he just couldn’t let it go.

“I can’t believe I’m seriously looking to a storybook for answers...” Rakken yawned as he shuffled out of his bedroom. He wanted to laugh at himself, to say that he was tired and to go to sleep already, but this book... there was something that bothered him too much to ignore.  
“ _The Starmakers_... that’s it.” Rakken sighed as he pulled a book from his small shelf. Resting back on a chair at a small table in the living area, Rakken opened the book to look through it once more. It was a simple story, one that plenty of parents had told plenty of children as they fell asleep. A fantastical tale about the oldest being in the known universe: the creatures that created the stars in the night sky. They painted the dark canvas of space with light, one speck at a time. How did they do this? Why they could breathe just fine in space of course. They floated gracefully through the galaxies as they created their works of art, drawing lines between their favorite stars to make the constellations. It was said that they held near-infinite power as they were made of stardust and sunlight, they were celestial beings that were said to live forever. The stylized illustrations in the book painted the Starmakers each with a single eye and bright yellow specks adorning their faces that almost looked like stars. Gods, this had to be a coincidence, Sung wasn’t some fantasy creature that was old as time itself, he was a child! A physical being sleeping in the next room over that just... had the same exact facial details and no traceable home planet... Rakken dragged a hand over his face, muffling a groan in the process. This was stupid. He set the book down and his eyes gradually fell shut.

Sung woke from a dreamless sleep to white walls and a soft blanket. It took him a moment to remember where he was, but he knew this wasn’t his home. He laid motionless as he let the warm morning sunlight wash over him from the window. The soft chirping of birds replaced the distant crashing of waves that Sung was used to. If he listened closely, he could hear people talking outside on the street below. He ran over yesterday’s events in his head, gripping at the blanket, almost as if he needed something physical to keep him there, to make this feel real. This wasn’t his room, this wasn’t his home, but he couldn’t do anything about that now. The pale blue of his bedroom walls replaced with empty white, the star charts pasted onto his ceiling missing from their spots. His room wasn’t his room anymore. He’d left it behind and couldn’t go back. What was he thinking? Rakken had been kind enough to let him stay here, he should be grateful. Rakken... Rakken had helped him. Sung wanted to thank him properly.

Sung pulled the door to the room open a crack, peering out curiously. To his surprise, Rakken was passed out in a chair, his head resting on a pair of his crossed arms leaning on a table. Sung tiptoed over to the sleeping man with caution, unsure of what to do in this situation. Upon closer inspection, Sung could see that Rakken had been reading some book? Had he not been able to sleep so he read until he was tired?  
“Whuh-who?!” Rakken suddenly sat up, ready to defend himself. Sung yelped, jumping back in fear as he instinctively took a defensive pose.  
“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to wake you, I just-!” Sung panicked, curling in on himself. Rakken blinked a few times and yawned as his sleepy brain registered the events of the past few seconds.  
“No, no I didn’t mean to scare you.” Rakken yawned again, stretching his back and arms. “S’my fault for falling asleep here like this anyway. You did nothing wrong.”  
Sung watched silently as Rakken stood from his chair and headed towards a small kitchenette in the corner of the room. He’d been too tired to really pay attention to his surroundings the night before, but now he was wide awake and plagued by curiosity. The tile floor of the living area was a pleasant alternating pattern of grey and dark green. The table, chairs, and cabinets appeared to be carved from the blue wood of the trees in the forest. A window was positioned near the door leading outside and was adorned with thin green curtains that were drawn back to reveal the morning sky. As homesick as Sung felt, he also felt oddly peaceful here in this quiet little room.  
“So, how’d you sleep?” Rakken’s voice cut through Sung’s thoughts, pulling him back into the reality of the situation. He was simply a visitor in the house of a man he barely knew, on a planet he knew even less.  
“...I slept okay. Did you fall asleep reading?”  
“Yeah, guess I did.” Rakken laughed, shaking his head. “Now, what do you want for breakfast?”


	8. Shopping

Sung stood on the fire escape out front of the apartments. It was little more than a heavily reinforced metal and wood platform with stairs between the floors above and below, but it gave him a good view of the town from three stories up. Strange birds flew overhead and small furry creatures ran across the rooftops below. It was all so oddly beautiful and it made Sung’s heart ache as he wished more than anything to be able to share this view with Stone. But now wasn’t the time to wallow in regret, his brother had tasked him with the responsibility of living on, with seeing what the rest of the universe had to offer. If anything, this was his duty to Stone, and he hoped that wherever his soul rested, he’d be able to somehow see these things too.

Rakken had promised to take Sung into town today, past the busy street market this time, as he said he’d needed to buy some things. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving Sung alone in a small apartment with nothing to do all day, so he had requested the night shift for work at the ship bay. Fortunately, the weather seemed good today, and from what Rakken could see from the window as he rinsed off their plates, there wasn’t a single cloud in the pale pink sky. He’d made up the excuse of needing to stock up on groceries and other supplies as cover for his true intentions. He had a hunch that Sung’s behavior from offering to pay for his meal last night was not a one-time ordeal, and Rakken could respect that. However, Sung deserved at least some possessions of his own. He’d seen the contents of Sung’s bag after the boy had dropped it in his mad search last night, and Rakken had scooped it up as he’d followed him. It contained several bottles of water, a few dozen dried food goods with labels he had never seen before, a ship key, and a few shirts. Shirts but no pants, what was that boy thinking? Rakken laughed to himself as he shook his head.  
“Alright kid, you ready to head out?” Rakken yelled in Sung’s direction towards the open door, earning an excited sound of affirmation in response.

Sung couldn’t help but take in his surroundings with awe as the two made their way downtown. The more they walked, the more thickly packed together the trees grew on the sides of the roads. Bioluminescent flowers bloomed from their branches underneath the canopy, casting pale pastel colors on the underside of the leaves where the sky couldn’t peek through. There was so much that Sung wanted to know about Yulloth, this planet was alien in every sense of the word to him and his senses were constantly bombarded with new sensations that he’d never dreamed of. His home had its fair share of nature, but there was nothing like this, no gigantic trees, no glowing flowers, no vibrant blues and greens lining the roads. These may have only been simple things to anyone else, but Sung was entranced by the little things making up the unique town that he remained a stranger to. The roads eventually began to widen, opening up into a more urban area filled with little shops and a decently sized park where children were playing.

Rakken led Sung into a small food market, grabbing a cloth bag from a rack to pack full of foodstuffs. Sung had never seen so many strange foods in one place before. He had no idea what any of them were beyond a few guesses whether something was a fruit or vegetable.  
“Alright, first stop on our list,” Rakken spoke, patting Sung’s shoulder. “you can look anywhere in the store. If you see anything that interests you, you let me know.”  
_Yes,_ Rakken thought to himself. _this will work. If I keep him occupied like this, he can’t protest to me getting things for him._  
Sung walked along, guided by his own curiosity as he gradually separated from Rakken to explore. Green and yellow spheres with spiky thorns growing out of them. Long bright orange tubes of what he assumed were some sort of vegetable. Bunches of oddly shaped purple pods connected by a single branch. Sung hadn’t seen anything like this before and was captivated by the amazingly different world he’d stumbled into. Rakken, on the other hand, had snuck away from Sung to search through the reading materials. Making sure Sung hadn’t followed him, he quickly picked up several children’s reading and writing workbooks, discreetly placing them into his bag. He’d seen the frustration on Sung’s face when he hadn’t been able to read the day before and knew that being on a planet you didn’t understand the common language of could be troublesome.  
“Mr. Rakken!” Sung called as he ran up to the tall man with his arms full of various produce. “Can you tell me what these are?”

“Alright Sung, I’ve got some boring grown up shopping to do now, so why don’t you play in the park until I’m done?” Rakken suggested as they left the store after paying for their items. Sung’s face lit up at the idea, literally, Rakken noted as Sung’s freckles seemed to glow a bit brighter with the rush of excitement the boy got. “Go on, have fun out there!” Rakken laughed as he watched Sung run out to the park. Good, now that he was out of the way, Rakken could buy clothes for him in secret. As he entered the store, however, he was greeted by an unexpectedly familiar face.  
“Yo, welcome to- oh hey! You!” A girl with bright red skin with patches of light orange and multiple facial piercings sat behind the counter. Her dirty blonde hair was pulled back into two messy buns. Rakken felt like he knew her from _somewhere_... and it finally hit him.  
“...You’re that singer from last night?”  
“Yup, that’d be me! Wow, I did not expect to see you again!” The girl laughed, tugging at a loose strand of her hair.  
“Yeah, uh, me neither. So, you work here when you aren’t with your band or something?”  
“Mhm! It’s a day gig, y’know? Band’s my night gig. Oh, I never got your name, did I? How rude of me. I’m Moxy LaKarra!” The girl greeted cheerfully, extending a hand for Rakken to shake.  
“Rakken Heilat.” Rakken responded, returning Moxy’s handshake.  
“Nice t’meet you, Rakken!” Moxy chirped before peering over the counter. “Little dude not with you today?”  
“Little-? Oh, you mean Sung. He’s out in the park right now.”  
“Ah, gotcha gotcha! Mannn, he was so into our set last night, you shoulda seen the look on his face from up front!” She giggled. “I CANNOT believe we were his first music experience! Us, Omega Star!”  
“Yeah, neither can I, but I need to get some shopping done, so...”  
“Oop, yeah I get it! Go do your shoppin’!”  
Moxy seemed... nice, but that was quite too much energy for Rakken right now. He only needed some children’s clothing for Sung after all.

Rakken exited the store and made his way over to the park. Sung was enthusiastically running around with wild abandon, it seemed as if this kid had near-boundless energy sometimes. Rather than interrupting his playtime, Rakken sat on a nearby bench as Sung tired himself out. Their excursion had taken longer than Rakken had expected it to, though it didn’t help that the two of them hadn’t left until late morning since they had both slept in and then cooked breakfast. Gods, how long had it been since he had cooked with anyone? He hadn’t had anyone in his apartment for a long, long time now, and now that Sung was here things were going to change again. But maybe some changes were okay. He looked on at Sung with a small smile on his face. He had no idea how long this would last, if only for a few days, weeks, months? Maybe even longer if need be. Sung was a child, all alone in this new world that he didn’t know. He didn’t read the language, didn’t understand the culture, he hadn’t even known what a kiodarin was until last night. But there were things that Rakken didn’t know either; things about Sung. He didn’t know what he was or where he truly came from. He didn’t even know how old Sung was. He’d only assumed that he was a child because of his size and demeanor. And even if Sung _was_ a child, there were races that lived for incredibly long times. Huh, that reminded him of the book again... ugh, he needed to stop thinking of that damn thing.  
“-ken, Mr. Rakken!” Sung’s voice cut through Rakken’s thoughts, snapping his consciousness back into the present moment.  
“Y-yeah? What is it?”  
“Umm, you fell asleep and the sun is going down. Did you get your shopping done?”  
“Oh wow, time sure passed, huh?” Rakken sighed, sitting up. “Yeah, I did. Let’s head back, okay?”

Sung watched Rakken cook at the kitchenette as he sat in a chair at the table. Rakken had said something about needing to go to work overnight so he was going to make dinner before he left.  
“So, I uh... I got you some things while we were out shopping today.” Rakken admitted without turning around to face Sung. “They’re on the table there in that bag. Hope you like ‘em.”  
Sung blinked wordlessly as he looked from Rakken to the bag. He was unsure of what to say, but his curiosity began weighing down on his mind. Opening the bag, he found an array of multiple colored shirts and a few pairs of shorts and long pants.  
“I just thought, you’ve been wearing that suit since yesterday and you deserve to have some normal clothing, so... yeah. There’s something else, in the bottom besides the clothes too.” Something about the way he spoke almost made Rakken seem embarrassed of his actions. Plunging his hand further into the bag, Sung felt around blindly until he brushed against smooth, cool paper. Pulling the objects out of the bag, Sung stared at them in confusion for a brief moment before realization struck him.  
“Reading workbooks?”  
“Yeah, well I saw you unable to read yesterday, so...” Rakken’s voice trailed off. He knew this was a stupid idea-  
“Thank you!” Sung shouted excitedly. “I’ll be able to read Yulloth’s language with these!”

Rakken felt himself relax as the fear gripping his heart dissipated. Sung really was a good kid. He smiled to himself as he made quick work of sautéing the vegetables they had bought at the store earlier, adding a few seasonings and throwing some into a container to bring with him to his late-night shift. As he turned around to announce that the food was finished, Rakken’s words caught in his throat. Sung was sitting cross-legged in his seat, wearing a bright red tee shirt over his yellow and black suit as he poured over the first pages of a workbook intently with a grin on his face.


	9. Night Shift

It had been a few hours since Rakken had left for work and Sung had been keeping himself busy with the workbooks Rakken had gotten him. He’d never imagined that he’d be able to learn the written language of another planet, or that it would be similar to his own language in any way. Sure there were plenty of words that Sung had never seen before, but that only made him more eager to learn. The alphabet used the same symbols, so that made things easy enough to remember. Sung steadily worked through the sections in the first book, filling out pages and working through problems.

Sung sat back in his chair as he admired his work. Reading and writing had never exactly been his forte as intergalactic and technological sciences were his true subjects of passion, but the thought that this was an alien language filled his head with wondrous ideas and theories about what else lied beyond the stars. He was here now, farther than any Celyst had dared to travel, and he was determined to keep learning. He wanted to learn more about Yulloth, he wanted to learn more about Rakken. He wanted to climb onto the roof and to make new maps of the stars, but that probably wasn’t such a good idea here. And Sung knew, more than anything else, that he _had_ to learn more about music. He wanted to feel those feelings again, he wanted to understand why he felt them so strongly in the first place. Even though a full day had passed since he’d run into that group, their music was stuck in his head. He found himself tapping his fingers on the table as he worked, kicking his legs and humming absentmindedly. It gave Sung something to do with his restless energy for once.

As much as Sung enjoyed filling out the workbooks, it wasn’t long before his thoughts of music had taken over completely. His finger tapping had turned to clenched fists beating lightly against the wooden table. He brought his fists down in different places, curious about the varying sounds they made. He hummed along, changing the pitch and tone as he tried to match the sounds he made. He swayed in his seat, lost in his own music and unable to sit still. Any loneliness Sung may have felt from Rakken’s absence, from being alone in this space that was still strange to him, was drowned out by his now happy thoughts and self-made melodies.

Rakken sighed, leaning back in his chair. The night shifts were always slow, but the pay was decent enough. Hardly any ships entered or left the hangar at this time of night. He stared longingly out of the window in his office, hoping for something... more. It had been such a long, long time since he’d given up on his dreams of space travel. He’d always wanted to see more of the galaxy, but here he was stuck in this little box of an office as he ran checks on anyone who came through. He didn’t like the feeling of jealousy that had settled in his chest over time, working its way into the cracks of his broken dreams. He didn’t want to be jealous or petty and he always strove to be the nicest he could be despite the bitterness inside. At times Rakken would wonder what was really keeping him here. Sure, money was an issue, but he could have bought some old broken down ship to fix up for himself. But he was still here working this damn job. But then... there were days like yesterday when he’d seen Sung’s ship fly into the ship bay, delivering such fragile cargo.

Sung was far from the first visitor Rakken had offered shelter to. And Rakken would surely be the first to say that Yulloth hadn’t always been so friendly. He’d been witness to his fair share of black market dealings and drug busts. Perhaps a shootout once or twice in the past few centuries. A large part of the planet’s current safety was due to the security jobs around the bay; the workers following orders and making sure each visitor was identified and thrown towards customs. While Rakken was professional on the outside, on the inside he was too good, too trusting of a person for this job. If someone, anyone came through Rakken’s office looking for help, his heart would ache for them. How many lives had he helped? And how many had he put in danger? Rakken had no way of knowing, but the way he saw things, if anyone came to the tiny planet of Yulloth seeking help, they were going to get the help that they sought. And if he could be that help, that was worth putting off his dreams yet again for another decade or more.

Sung was yet another lost soul who’d wound up at Rakken’s feet. He remembered seeing the odd ship cruise into the hangar in that perfect way that only robots and autopilot systems were capable of. His curiosity had dragged him in, closer to that ship. As he was the only one on duty at the time, it was his job to bring whoever was onboard into customs, but he’d never expected it to be something like this. Such a small, sad figure standing in front of him. He looked terrified and was visibly shaking at the time. Rakken was struck by an overwhelming urge to usher him to safety, to tell him that everything was alright even though he had no clue what was going on with this stranger in the first place. But he’d made his mind up on one thing: he certainly wasn’t going to leave this kid alone.


	10. Time

Time gradually passed as the two aliens settled into somewhat of a daily routine. Rakken had returned to his normal working times as Sung had shown a want for independence. Sung wasn’t his kid to begin with, and Rakken thought it would be rather cruel to keep him locked up all day. With a curfew for safety set in place, Sung had free reign and went about exploring Yulloth. After mastering the basics of the local language, Sung set out in search of a library. He didn’t have much luck at first as he stumbled through the town. It had been quite a while since he’d wandered around by himself and though he didn’t want to admit it, the feelings of the citizens close to him put him off. He hadn’t understood the feelings of confusion and apprehension that seemed to swirl in a thick fog around him at first. As time passed however he began to see the little things people were trying to hide with their subtlety. The diverted glances, the quick shuffles of children being guided around him, the whispers when he’d smile and show his sharp teeth. It was true that there was a large variety of alien species living on and visiting Yulloth, but Sung had never seen another cyclops like himself. The majority of the population had two eyes and none of them had razor-sharp teeth or brightly glowing body parts. It didn’t take a genius to realize that the feelings were a general distrust towards him.

It had quickly become one of Sung’s hobbies, curling up with a rented book or two in that little park Rakken had taken him to. He’d read about science and mechanics, the same things that had always interested him. There were so many more things to read here, so many different subjects. And here he sat on a bench reading about things he already knew so much about nearly every day with a visor he’d bought with his allowance Rakken had allowed him. And he couldn’t be enjoying himself more. His little hobby had luckily landed him right in front of Moxy’s day job, giving him a front-row seat to musical education, or what he could parse from Moxy’s ramblings. The more Sung learned about music, the more passionate he became. It wasn’t long before books on music and instruments had been added to his rentals. As time continued marching forward, Sung hit a sort of growth spurt as he reached adolescence the closer he got to his next full billion. Rakken didn’t know how old Sung was, not really, nor did he know how Sung came to leave his home, but he figured that could stand to remain unsaid for a while longer.

Rakken and Sung had grown to have a mutual respect for one another. Rakken obviously cared about Sung’s wellbeing and was one of the only people here who didn’t have that aura of distrust around him. Sung didn’t fully understand why people thought negatively of him, but he was glad to have his visor to block some of it out. On the upside, Sung had managed to find a job that he enjoyed; working in the scrapyard where he could put his technomancy skills to good use as he fixed and repurposed broken machinery. He’d come to like it here on Yulloth, but he still missed his home with an ache in his heart that could never be fixed.

As time went on, not only good things came to pass. Rakken had to turn away more and more travelers as an influx of smugglers began to target Yulloth. The calm planet quickly turned dangerous as drugs and concealed weapons made their way through. The neighboring planets had been put through a similar situation as their security checks and safety precautions failed them. Yulloth was no longer the safe planet Sung had come to know, and he prayed for Rakken’s safety every night before going to sleep.


	11. Late-Night Talks

Sung woke with a start as a shrill shriek ripped through his ears. As often as he’d heard these awful noises now, he didn’t think he’d ever get used to them. He sat up in bed, staring out his window at the dark night sky as he hugged his blanket around himself. The air had gotten colder in these past few weeks and leaves were falling off of the magnificent trees. Rakken’s apartment stayed warm with its internal heating, but Sung still found himself shivering. Maybe it was from his shaken up state of mind? Whatever it was, Sung decided he didn’t want to be alone. He picked up his blanket and opened the door. Sung was surprised though as he found Rakken sitting at the table with the lights dimmed.  
“You can’t sleep either, huh?” Rakken asked and his gentle tone filled Sung with the warmth he was lacking.  
“Yeah... do you mind if I join you?”  
“Of course not,” Rakken smiled as he patted the chair beside him. “have a seat.”

The two sat in content silence for a few minutes, simply enjoying the other’s company. Rakken swirled the dark contents of a large mug in his hands, staring down at the ripples the liquid made in the dim light.  
“...What are you drinking?” Sung asked, choosing to break the silence between them.  
“Hm? Oh, this is coffee. It helps people stay awake n’ stuff.” Rakken replied.  
“Coffee...” Sung repeated thoughtfully. He’d heard adults talking about it plenty of times but he had never tried it.  
“You want a mug?”  
Sung shifted his glance up to meet Rakken’s and thought for a moment.  
“Not a lot of kids like the taste though...” Rakken’s words trailed off as he thought to himself. _Kids... He’d assumed Sung was a kid, but he didn’t really know. After all, Sung had grown nearly a foot taller in the past few months and he still had no idea what kind of alien he was._ “...Hey Sung, can I ask you something?”  
“Yes?”  
“How... old are you?” Rakken sighed, finally getting the question off of his chest, and took a long sip of coffee as he awaited Sung’s reply.  
“Almost 13 billion now, why?”  
Rakken instantly spit out his coffee. “Bill-whuh-BILLION?!” The man stuttered, his eyes wide. Sung simply nodded as if this was the most natural thing in the world for him.  
“How old are you, Mr. Rakken?” Sung asked innocently, unsure of why Rakken had reacted in such a manner.  
“...34 hundred.”  
“What!? But that’s so young!” Sung shouted in surprise.  
“Hey, we all age differently, so-!” Rakken paused to drag a hand down his face. Here he was late at night, talking to someone who made his own age seem like he was the child in this situation. Though he’d never live to be half of Sung’s age, he still felt a sense of seniority over the ancient alien with the body of a teenager.  
“Look, not everyone lives to be as old as you are right now. I don’t know how it works where you’re from, but it sure ain’t that way here.” Rakken sighed and gave Sung a gentle pat on the head as he stood from his chair. 

Sung watched quietly as Rakken made his way over to the kitchenette, contemplating the young man’s words. His age dwarfed Rakken’s and their conversation made his mind feel fuzzy. He was used to being the child in every situation back home. Home... not a day had passed where Sung didn’t think about Stellaisan. It hadn’t gotten any easier to deal with the pain, but it had gotten easier to adjust to his new life. Sung’s mind was brought back to reality by the rich smell of coffee percolating. It wasn’t long before Rakken was back at the table, setting a mug down in front of Sung.  
“What’s that?” Sung asked, peering over at a large, flat book Rakken held in one of his hands.  
“This book,” Rakken grunted as he set the book down on the table. “might have something to do with you. And it’s not like either of us really have something better to do.”  
Sung looked down at the book, gripped by a mixture of curiosity and anxiety as he read the title.

_”The Starmakers.”_


	12. The Starmakers

_Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered where the stars came from?  
Those bright specks of light like little dots that were painted on a canvas._

_What if I told you that they were created by magic?  
Would you believe me if I told you they were made by hand?  
You’d laugh if I told you so._

_But what if it was real?  
And it is real.  
The Starmakers lit up the sky for us._

_Nobody knows where they came from, you see.  
They were here from the beginning,  
And will be here at the end._

_Their eternal lives let them never grow old.  
Made of stardust and sunlight,  
They watch over time itself._

_Back when the night was dark,  
They flew without wings to the sky.  
All so they could string up their stars._

_What does a Starmaker look like?  
Why they’re people like you and me,  
But with only one eye to see!  
They have the teeth of monsters,  
And the kindest of hearts._

_They spend their days in the clouds flying freely about,  
And their nights on the ground watching the skies._

_The children made up the constellations,  
Drawing lines between their favorite stars.  
Painting pictures in the sky._

_The adults used their near infinite power for good,  
Painting each star one by one.  
A gentle glow to reflect upon._

_Why have you never seen one you ask?  
Well the Starmakers are very shy,  
They hide themselves far, far away._

_But maybe if you’re lucky...  
You’ll meet one someday._


	13. Confessions

Sung read the book cover to cover wordlessly. His eye scanning the pages as if he needed to remember all of this in vivid detail. Rakken hadn’t expected this serious of a response from Sung, nor had he ever seen him make such a serious expression. The book wasn’t long but he was reading it as if it were a full-length novel, and Rakken swore he looked as if he could burst into tears any second. That horrible fragility was back and Rakken’s face grew hot with guilt. He’d wanted Sung to see this story, he’d wanted to see if it sparked anything. He didn’t know why he did it, he was just too curious. He watched as sung turned to the last page, his face still screwed up to hold back the tears, as if he could fall apart at any second, but he didn’t.

“Celysts...” Sung spoke so quietly Rakken almost thought he was imagining it at first. “We’re called Celysts.”  
“So you...?” Whatever words Rakken had wanted to say got choked back as he looked at Sung’s face.  
“But, we’re not... we weren’t... immortal. We were supposed to be, but-!”  
Sung openly sobbed, letting the tears roll down his face. He couldn’t hold his feelings inside anymore and they all came spilling out. Rakken wanted to focus on Sung, to be there to comfort him when he obviously needed it, but something made him pause. The table, no, the room seemed to be shaking. The chair Rakken was seated in rocked underneath of him and the cupboard doors rattled as Sung cried loudly. The coffee spilled from their mugs and the plates in the sink clinked and clanked together in an awful cacophony.  
“Sung! It’s alright! I’m here, I’m here-“ Rakken exclaimed, grabbing the child-man-oh it didn’t matter! He grabbed Sung tightly with all four of his arms, pulling him into what he hoped was a comforting embrace. Sung grasped at Rakken’s back blindly, seeking a way to hug him back in all this mess.  
“They’re gone!” Sung shouted into Rakken’s shoulder. “They were supposed to live forever! So WHY?!”

It had taken at least an hour for Sung to come down from his panicked state of distress. Rakken waited patiently with one eye open, watching out for anything else to happen in the wake of Sung’s anguish. He was incredibly curious about Sung’s situation, but he’d let him share on his own terms. Sung sniffled pathetically and wiped aimlessly at the tears that continued to fall. He took deep breaths and tried his best to calm himself, but his pent up frustration and sadness hadn’t yet run their course. But now, now he was ready to talk.

“I’m,” Sung began sheepishly, turning his face away as the tears continued to flow. “I’m a Celyst, or what that book was talking about. That isn’t some fairy tale, it’s true... but we didn’t live forever like we were supposed to.”  
Rakken thought for a moment before speaking. He didn’t want to set Sung off again, but he didn’t know what not to say. “...What happened?”  
“A disease,” Sung stated flatly. “spread all over the planet.”  
“ _Oh._ ”  
“I was _lucky_ enough to be the only one not infected... so here I am! The last living Celyst.” Sung smiled but the rest of his face didn’t match.  
There was so much that Rakken wanted to say, to do to make Sung feel better. But he didn’t even know where to begin with this. To find out that the “kid” he’d taken in was billions of years old and the last of his kind... it was just too heartbreaking, but the pieces clicked together in his mind. Sung’s timid demeanor when they’d first met, the bag full of nonperishable goods and water, the fact that he hadn’t been able to find a trace of his planet in the first place. Yet all Rakken could do was shake his head in disbelief. He couldn’t begin to imagine the grief Sung was going through; the heartache and stress must have been excruciatingly painful to keep inside.  
“But you, Rakken... I’m glad that I met someone as kind as you.”  
“Jeez, kid, what’re you trying to do? Make _me_ cry?” Rakken said, resting a hand on Sung’s shoulder, laughing softly.  
“Who are you calling a kid? I’m way older than you, you... baby!” Sung laughed through the tears, his solemn expression lightening a bit.  
“There we go, there’s that smile.” Rakken sighed. “But really, Sung. Thank you for telling me that.”  
“...Thank you for listening to me.“ Sung smiled. Finally a genuine smile.  
“Now,” Rakken stretched, letting out a long yawn. “how’s about we head to bed? We can talk more tomorrow.”  
“I think I’d like that.”


	14. Spring Scrapyard

Many months had passed since Sung had first arrived on Yulloth. Rakken had laughed and laughed when Sung saw snow for the first time. He’d been so excited that he’d run outside without any shoes on. The town still functioned as well as it could now that the streets were no longer safe, but there was no way the locals would give up their seasonal festivities. Bonfires were lit, children carried sleds up steep hills, and colorful lights were strung up everywhere. Sung had never seen such a sight as Stellaisan remained pleasantly warm all year, though it wasn’t long before the cold weather became warm once more. Heavy winter coats and thick sweaters were replaced with short-sleeved shirts and dresses. Flowers bloomed and leaves returned to the tall, blue trees that had looked so naked in the cold. With the recent warmth, Sung could spend more time outside again and he quickly threw himself back into his work.

Sung’s boss at the scrapyard was constantly telling Sung that he was the hardest worker he’d ever seen. Sung would reply the same way every time:  
“Well, I just love to work with machines, sir!” He’d smile brightly with that big toothy grin of his, wiping oil from his hands with an old rag and adjust his visor. Sung would sift through pile after pile of nuts and bolts, piecing things back together or creating new contraptions as his hands gave off that soft green glow of his technomancer powers. Sure, this power of his lent him quite the helpful hand in his daily work, but Sung’s passion for fixing things and helping others was what really let him shine. Occasionally he’d even be allowed to dig through the better parts at the end of a shift and take home his findings. He felt guilty for taking them at first, but his boss insisted. He’d collected a fine assortment of various gadgets and gizmos that he’d tinker with from time to time, but most he’d set aside. The pieces he’d set aside were for a secret, personal project that he’d come up with a plan and schematic for all by himself. Of course, when Rakken looked at the pile, all he saw was a pile of broken junk. But anything that had made Sung this happy was more than enough for him.

“Hey, I never really asked before and it kinda slipped my mind...” Rakken paused thoughtfully as he washed the dishes as he stood at the sink. “but when’s your birthday?”  
Sung looked up from his tools for a moment, turning to look at Rakken. “The 26th actually.”  
“ _This_ 26th? As in next week?” Rakken asked, shock apparent in his voice.  
“Yup,” Sung nodded. “hitting the big ‘13.”  
Oh now _this_ , this was Rakken’s time to shine. As much as he’d given to Sung when they’d first met, Sung had taken to being the one to earn his keep, to show Rakken up at every turn. Sung had brought excitement and enjoyment back into Rakken’s boring life and he was quietly growing desperate to give something back.

“His birthday, huh?” Moxy asked as a grin spread across her face, nearly splitting it in half. “Ooooh, you gotta tell me what you’ve been plannin’! You HAVE been plannin’ something right?”  
“Yes, I have.” Rakken sighed. “And that’s why I came to talk to you. You guys like music and all that n’stuff, so I figured I’d pitch in to get him an instrument.  
Moxy’s eyes practically lit up as Rakken spoke. “Oh! That is PERFECT!” She squeaked as she excitedly flapped her hands. “Okay, so he’s been super into the keyboard, right? But not just any keyboard is gonna cut it for his b-day! And he likes the guitar too! But that’s so run o-the mill boring to get someone as a gift.”  
“So, uh... what do we do then?” Rakken asked with a fair bit of uncertainty.  
“Sung’s workin’ at that scrap place, yeah? So we buss up some real nice guitar and keyboard and get in contact with the boss man!”  
It took Rakken a minute or two to process what Moxy was suggesting, but it finally hit him. And it was stupid. But it was perfect. He’d be making his own present without knowing it.


	15. Birthday Presents

Sung woke up on the morning of his birthday like it was any other day. He had grown considerably after hitting his growth spurt since arriving here and officially looked like an adolescent, though he didn’t feel much older. He laid still, letting the morning light bathe him in a peachy glow as he stared at the ceiling. So much had changed in Sung’s life, though he was beginning to accept that. He had grown accustomed to Yullothan culture, eating their food every day and taking part in their customs. Of course, the increasing crime rate was concerning and Sung knew he likely wouldn’t be able to stay forever, but he’d deal with that when it became a problem. For now, he had a roof over his head and the best housemate he could ask for. Rakken had become like a brother to him, second of course to his actual brother, Stone. There was no doubt in Sung’s mind that Stone would be happy to see him like this, and he fervently hoped that he’d been doing a good job of upholding Stone’s last request. It wasn’t long before the smell of baking bread and freshly brewed coffee brought Sung out of his thoughts. Rakken was awake.

“You got those parts to his boss, right? Right?” Moxy asked excitedly upon Rakken’s return to their meeting place. It had been his job to drop the pieces of a white guitar and synthesizer off at Sung’s job.  
“Yup, told him the whole deal. Looks like whatever he’s been making for Sung’s almost done too.”  
The two were rather excited to see their strange plan set into motion. They’d explained with thorough detail that the parts were a special request and meant to be fixed. _Supposedly_ , all the parts were from one instrument and their client wanted it back in working order. Rakken had originally been worried that it would be too much work for Sung to complete in one day, but his boss disagreed. Sung was stubborn and hardworking to a fault, sometimes refusing breaks or forgetting to eat. Overall he was well suited for this job.

“So this stuff used to be one instrument, huh?” Sung mused, holding the broken up pieces of the neck of a guitar to the light, watching as the light glittered off of the matte finish. Sure, he could guess what pieces went where, but some of the parts confused him as he sorted through the wreckage that sat before him. It had the full set of keys from a synthesizer, that could easily be repaired. But the rest seemed to be what looked like a stringless guitar? Sung was puzzled as he looked from piece to piece, wondering how it was supposed to fit together, when finally it registered. “Aha! It’s like a mobile synthesizer!”  
Unbeknownst to Sung, his boss had been working on a project of his own. Most adults who piloted their own spacecrafts wore special helmets to signify some sort of special meaning or to simply set them apart in the dark sea of space. A helmet was like a fingerprint: each unique and special in their own way. And so the man set about finishing his very special gift for his best worker.

The day turned to evening and the gentle breeze sweeping through the town carried wonderful smells and the excited voices of children from the marketplace through the air. Sung smiled as he worked, the green glow emanating from his palms casting a strange light around him. His yellow freckles glowed in the dwindling daylight like the stars themselves and his eye, hidden behind his dark visor, darted back and forth over his work, looking for any imperfections. He had been working the whole day and from what he could tell, he was nearly finished. The guts of the synthesizer were hidden behind a smooth exterior and the keys were embedded in the surface. The whole thing was meant to be held like a guitar, but Sung had figured that holding such a cumbersome instrument while playing would be unwise, so he affixed a shoulder strap. It was such a unique instrument, at least to Sung. He’d never seen something quite like this and was honestly a bit jealous, but work was work.

“I’m done!” Sung called over his shoulder as he hoisted the patchwork instrument up off of his workbench. The other workers watched on in awe at Sung’s magnificent work. They’d all heard about the birthday plan from the boss, but none of them had truthfully expected him to accomplish something like this.  
“Good work, Sung.” His boss smiled warmly, patting him on the shoulder.  
“Is the client going to show up today to pick it up?”  
“Why yes, I think he should be here any minute now.”  
The words had barely left the man’s mouth when Rakken strolled into the scrapyard, Moxy following behind him.  
“Well, that would be me.” Rakken proclaimed, crossing his four arms across themselves with a smirk on his face.  
“Rakken?” Sung exclaimed. “Why would _you_ commission something like _this_?”  
“What? I can’t trick my friend into making his own birthday present?” Rakken laughed.  
“Wh-huh? You... _what?!_ ” Sung stumbled over his words, his cheeks flushing a brilliant yellow as emotions flooded his confused mind.  
“You heard me. Happy birthday you nerd!”  
“Hey, you can’t just leave me out of this!” Sung’s boss laughed as he picked up a large box before handing it to Sung.  
“Y-you’re kidding!” Sung stared at the box in his hands with surprise. “...For me?”  
Upon seeing everyone’s smiles and nods, Sung wasted no time opening the gift. A wide grin spread across his face as he lifted its contents out of the box.

It was a bright orange, cone-shaped protective helmet.


	16. Packing

Between musical practice with Moxy and his new instrument, flight practice just so he could test out his helmet in zero gravity, and normal work, Sung had managed to keep himself pretty busy since that day. Rakken was just glad to see the boy happy as things on Yulloth continued to worsen day after day. Crime rates had skyrocketed these past few months and the man prayed every time Sung left the atmosphere that he wouldn’t be followed or targeted. To his credit, however, Sung was rather adept at piloting his small spacecraft. In the few times Sung had invited him along on his ship, Rakken had never seen such skilled work done so quickly. He supposed it was due to living on such a backwater planet, but he liked to believe that Sung was the best flyer he’d seen in all his years. Rakken couldn’t help but smile whenever he saw that excited look on Sung’s face. That wont of his to explore everything around him and to get his hands on whatever work he could find was contagious. He filled those around him with a sort of giddy energy, and that damned sharp-toothed grin of his could light up a pitch-black room in the blink of an eye. Rakken only wished that things could stay like this forever.

Sung knew that Yulloth was becoming increasingly dangerous, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave. He couldn’t just leave behind his friends or the vibrant scenery he’d come to love. He couldn’t stand the thought of having to start over again; having to find some new planet with new people. Start up a new job that he was sure he wouldn’t enjoy as much as working with his hands in the scrapyard. He could continue living here, paying the rent with Rakken, ignoring the nightly screams and drug busts. He could ignore the strange weapons and tools holstered on the hips of strange men. He could ignore the increasingly metallic smell in the air. He could ignore... well, he couldn’t ignore the thoughts and feelings around him, as much as he wanted to. His empathic tendencies could be a real thorn in his side, cueing him in on things he wished he could remain ignorant to. But he wouldn’t leave. He couldn’t stand the idea.

“SUNG,” Rakken’s voice came booming through the small apartment. “SUNG GET YOUR STUFF. NOW!”  
Sung shot up in his bed in a cold sweat. Rakken never yelled like this. Rakken never panicked like this. What was going on?  
“Rakken-?”  
“THERE’S NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, GET THAT BUTT O’ YOURS PACKING!”  
Sung sat in dumbfounded shock at the tall man’s echoing voice. It was the middle of the night, what was happening— _oh._  
The feeling ripped through his chest like a shockwave. It was strong enough to make the young man want to vomit and he barely kept himself from retching. Tears pricked at the corners of his eye and his heart hammered away in his chest. _There was so much panic._ People outside were screaming so loudly, it was as if someone had died. But no, that couldn’t be- oh no, it was, wasn’t it? Sung’s body scrambled forward before his mind could finish that wretched thought. He was met with the sight of Rakken frantically ripping apart the apartment, throwing whatever he could into bags.  
“LOOK-look, I-I’m sorry I’m yellin’ but- ah jeez. Look, your tech stuff’s still where you keep it—I didn’t touch it. Just get your stuff packed, and-“  
Sung watched as the man he’d come to know completely unraveled in front of him. He had bags slung over each of his four arms and he was clutching at his chest like it hurt to breathe. Tears poured freely from his eyes as he tore through the small building seemingly on autopilot. Sung could barely breathe himself, he’d seen this panic once before and he’d hoped he’d never have to see it again. But here it was, laughing and spitting in his face as he burned with fear from the inside out.  
Sung grabbed an empty bag and carefully scooped up his work, making sure that none of it would be damaged in the move. He pocketed tools and loose screws like his life depended on everything in this house that hadn’t been nailed down. Rakken had done a good job of packing things in his haste and Sung picked up the slack, carrying as much as he could carry on his back.  
“Is that everything?!” Sung shouted as he caught Rakken piling yet another bag into his back. He hadn’t realized how hard he’d been crying, but it made too much sense. This was it: they were both leaving whether they liked it or not.  
“Mhm.” Rakken grunted, pushing past Sung to reach the door. He slammed it open, not bothering to pocket the key. This was it then.


	17. Panic

Sung could feel his heart drop and the world around him spin as Rakken opened the door with no hesitation. He was dizzy—so unbearably dizzy that he felt like he might vomit or pass out, maybe both. The scent of blood was strong and it made his blood run cold. Far below their balcony, Sung could see the mangled body of some unfortunate soul lying limply on the street. Colorful blood spilled out of their broken body and stained their clothing. That awful cloyingly metallic smell seemed to be everywhere, even threatening to enter Sung’s lungs if he dared to take too deep of a breath. There was so much blood inside of a person? For a moment, Sung wasn’t there standing out front of Rakken’s apartment choking on the smell of death. He was back home, cradling the empty body of a young Celyst as he cried and cried. His hands were drenched with yellow blood, dripping with it as he gripped the source tightly. There was so much blood. Too much blood for a body so small...

Sung blinked and he was on the streets, running wildly alongside Rakken. Adrenaline pumped through his body, carrying him faster than he thought possible. Both men instinctively ducked as they heard loud yelling and gunshots. Sung may not have known what a gun was, but he could guess from the few times he’d seen them being carried and heard them being shot that they weren’t nice tools. Nevertheless, he continued running, desperation fueling his footsteps and pushing him forward as he breathed through his teeth. Sung clenched his fists and kept looking forward as they ran past more and more bodies. This whole situation was like waking from a dream to find oneself living a nightmare. He didn’t know what was going on, but he was glad that Rakken had woken him. Rakken himself kept going at a decent pace only a few strides ahead of Sung. The tall man forced back tears of his own, though they were ones of pure fear and dread. He didn’t want to be caught and couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Sung he shot. So he ran.

The streets were filled with panic and desperation, tugging at Sung’s nerves as he tried to make his own escape. The poor empath was lost among a sea of negativity; cries for help, shouts of anger and anguish, and the bone-chilling fear of death. His heart beat so loudly in his ears that he wouldn’t have been surprised if it burst free from his chest, adding his body to the number of victims they had passed. He could feel his face heating up and his eye stung as he thought about death in such a passive manner. On one hand, he didn’t want to die, not now, not ever. But on the other... he could see Stone again. He could see his family again. The faces of everyone he had left behind on Stellaisan; the faces he’d never be able to see smile again. But then what about his promise to Stone? Stone wanted Sung to live, and he couldn’t just ignore his brother’s dying wish! But if he was going to live, he’d have to make it off of Yulloth and out of this mess.

“Shit!” Rakken cursed as he stopped in his tracks, skidding to a halt in front of Sung. Though they’d outrun the immediate danger, of course there’d be one last roadblock. A heavily armed man with an unpleasant expression painted on his face stood guard at the ship bay.  
“Where do you think you’re going?” The man barked at them.  
“A-away from here!” Sung shouted from behind Rakken. It took him a moment to find his voice and he hadn’t yet caught his breath, but his confidence was unwavering.  
“Nobody is leaving Yulloth!” The man shouted back, turning his attention now to Sung. “Not on my life!”  
“Why not? Who put you in charge of a whole planet?”  
“Ha, you really think I’d reveal everything to a citizen like you?”

Rakken couldn’t believe what Sung was doing, but was grateful all the same for the distraction as he tried to slip past the armed guard. The man didn’t seem to notice as he slowly stepped out of his line of sight, keeping himself hidden and masking his footsteps despite his size. He watched silently as Sung kept up this charade, egging the guard on and effectively distracting him from his duties. If he could just get around behind him and maybe put him in a chokehold...

“YOU!” The man shouted suddenly, ripping his eyes away from Sung. “Stop where you are!” Without hesitation, the man aimed a large gun at Rakken. Rakken, however, made his move. He lunged at the smaller man who screamed wildly in response, pulling the trigger. Deep maroon blood sprayed in a small arc behind Rakken who screamed in pain. The shot had luckily only gone through his upper leg, missing all vital organs. This didn’t stop Sung from reacting to the situation. Seeing the spray of blood and hearing Rakken’s pained voice was just enough to trip the hair-trigger of his psyche and Sung saw red.  
_**”RRAAAAAGH!”**_ Sung screamed in an otherworldly voice, demanding attention from the man who’d dare to hurt his friend. The man who’d dare to _shoot Rakken_. Sung looked a wildcat who’d just seen its prey, readying himself for the hunt. With silent motion, Sung pounced. He twisted his lithe body midair and focused all of his energy into his legs. With one swift movement Sung had connected his foot with the man’s head, letting out a sickening **ＣＲＡＣＫ**.

In a matter of seconds, the man’s head was no longer where it once belonged.


	18. Travel

Sung helped Rakken to his ship, letting the injured man lean heavily on his shoulder. The stench of blood was stronger than ever as it clung to both of their bodies for different reasons. Rakken limped wearily as he used Sung for support. The energy had been sapped from his body when he’d been shot. Although it clearly wasn’t lethal, it did hurt like hell and made carrying so many bags so much more difficult even though he was more than capable enough to carry the load on his own. He was embarrassed to admit that Sung was practically dragging him along at this point as dark blood steadily oozed from the decently sized hole torn into his thigh. This was his mess, _his fault_ , but Sung was too determined to let him go. Rakken grunted as Sung helped him sit down inside the ship.  
“I-I’ll... I’ll be right back.” Sung mumbled, patting the man on the shoulder and closing the door to the ship. “Computer! Set a course on autopilot!”  
_”WHERE TO?”_  
“Away from Yulloth! And fast!” Sung hastily set his bags down before running back to his friend. Rakken sat back in a chair, breathing heavily through the pain. Carefully, Sung peeled back the wet cloth of his pant leg where it had been torn from the blast. The skin near the wound was burnt and there was a messy hole torn straight through the muscles of Rakken’s left thigh. Sung grit his teeth and made his way to where he kept his medical supplies.

Rakken watched silently as Sung wrapped cloth bandages around his wound. There were things he wanted to say, things he wanted to ask, but he knew now was not the right time to bring anything up. He could tell at a glance that Sung was doing all he could to not fall apart then and there. As much as Rakken wanted answers to his questions, he wanted Sung to be alright more than anything in this moment.  
“...There!” Sung gasped, tying the cloth tightly in a knot. “That should at least slow the bleeding until we can find a doctor.”  
“Thank you.” Rakken sighed as he leaned back against the wall. “That was really dumb of me back there. You really saved me back there when, uh...” Rakken’s voice trailed off, not sure of what to say. What could he say, really? _“When you kicked that man’s head clean off.”?_  
“Yeah, well. Glad you’re okay.”  
Jeez, this was different. And not in a good way. He had seen Sung upset, the guy had even broken down in front of him, but this coldness was new.  
“Do... do you want to talk about it?”

Rakken watched Sung tense at his words, his fists clenching and unclenching rhythmically. He swayed on his feet and looked as if he might pass out if he stopped being serious for just a moment. Wordlessly, the man sat himself across from Rakken in the ship’s small living area. It wasn’t much more than a few retractable seats and a table, but it was enough to let the two get their bearings. Sung sat in silence as he stared around the ship. His gaze rested heavily on Rakken’s patched up wound for a good while before it slowly turned down to his own blood-covered pant leg. It was splattered with viscous teal blood, though most of it had dried by this point. His right shoe was covered in it and the material was most definitely stained—both pant leg and shoe.  
“You know what, I think I do want to talk about it.” Sung sighed as he pressed a hand to his forehead. “I don’t really know what happened back there, but when I saw you get hurt, I just... I got so angry?” Sung shook as he talked, like a leaf in a storm ready to be blown off its tree. “I didn’t mean to—to kill him...”  
Ah, there were the waterworks. This is what Rakken had been expecting from Sung. Of course he’d be crying at a time like this; mourning the death of a nameless man with a gun. The death that he had caused himself, quite brutally too. Sung was an enigma that Rakken couldn’t wrap his mind around. He was a creature from a storybook sitting right in front of him. He’d watched the guy grow like a weed since they’d first met and learned that he was several billion years old. So seeing him kick some guy’s head so hard it ripped off of his body didn’t seem too out of place for Sung. Sung however was not taking the situation too well, and Rakken couldn’t really blame him.  
“Well, whether you meant to or not, you did save my life. And probably the lives of a buncha others on Yulloth too. You saw the damage; how many people got hurt by guys like him. One less to worry about, right?”  
“I... I guess you have a point.” Sung mumbled, wiping at his tears with the back of his arm. “I should, y’know, change out of this stuff...” with a huff, Sung shakily rose to his feet.

Sung was glad that he could save Rakken, but at what cost? The life of another man? Where had that burst of energy and rage even come from in the first place? Sung stared at himself in the mirror of the ship’s bathroom. His eye was red from crying and his ears hung low from being in such a foul mood. He shut his eye and leaned forward until his forehead was pressed against the cool glass. That felt nice. He just needed to calm down, calm down and walk back out to Rakken. The man in the other room was still alive. Injured, but very much alive. Sung took a deep breath and lifted his head back up. This was better. His heart still ached with the memory of his actions, but Rakken was right. That man had attacked them, and if Sung hadn’t acted when he did... Sung shook his head as if to rid himself of the thought. He stared into the mirror once more, this time forcing a smile. “I did what I had to,” Sung stated out loud. “Rakken is alive because of me. And he’s waiting out there for me.” With each word, the smile became less forced. Sure this wasn’t exactly how sung wanted things to go, but if the two of them were alive, he knew it’d be okay.


	19. Wanderers

Sung tapped his fingers against his leg as he stared blankly at the control panel. They had been drifting along through space for hours now, trusting the ship’s computer to guide them somewhere safe. Sung had a lot on his mind and now he was left alone with his thoughts. Rakken slept soundly in the single bed the ship offered. He laid motionless with his four arms crossed and his bleeding leg elevated. Sung had made him keep the door open out of pure paranoia and now he could hear the man snoring softly. Just hearing any proof that Rakken was alive was enough to keep the dark thoughts at bay, but that didn’t stop Sung from worrying. He unconsciously bit at his lower lip, surprising himself at the unexpected bitter taste of blood. Needing something to do that didn’t involve cutting himself with his sharp teeth, Sung chose to observe the ship’s course. He tapped an array of buttons as he stared at the wide expanse of the screen in front of him. The ship was taking them on a long course around multiple smaller satellite planets, but he couldn’t tell where exactly it was taking them. That was the problem with autopilot, though Sung didn’t have much of a choice considering that he didn’t know his way around space on his own. It was a giant black sea full of stars and planets of varying sizes and colors. He scrolled along their charted path in an attempt to figure out their destination.

In a weird way this situation excited Sung, though he didn’t like to admit that. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t deny that a small part of him was excited about traveling to new places once again. He could explore the galaxy with a friend at his side this time. This would be different from Yulloth. Of course he didn’t like the fact that they had to leave Yulloth, or the fact that Rakken had been hurt, or the fact that he’d... killed a man. Sung had been given considerable time to dwell on the events preceding their departure and while he didn’t like them one bit, they did spark some curiosity deep inside of him. How had he done what he did back there? He certainly didn’t remember being powerful enough to kill someone with a single kick of his leg, but then there were lots of things he didn’t know about himself. A Celyst’s 13th billion was meant to be their initiation into the community as an adult; a rite of passage that meant the secrets of the elder’s ways would be passed down to their young. He’d never gotten to learn any of these secrets for himself, though he had seen the adults do things that he couldn’t begin to comprehend.

Sung was pulled from his thoughts as his mindless scrolling has led him to the end of the ship’s log, showing at long last their destination. A small planet, just smaller than Yulloth, named Kestricury. A few taps and a quick search on the planet revealed more information than Sung had expected. Kestricury was largely a trading planet with a strict weapons ban that had been in place for centuries. Several articles depicted Kestricury as more of an enormous city than a planet, with more than enough space to find a comfortable spot to live apparently. Sung released a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as he researched the validity of the weapons ban. He was sure to find at least one doctor here to help Rakken.


	20. Kestricury

Truthfully, Rakken had no idea how long it had been since the two of them had left Yulloth, but he had been so tired that he was asleep most of the time. When Rakken woke up from his nap once again he had expected the same routine: be shaken gently by Sung, be told it was time to change his dressings, and hazily fumble through the mess of bloodied cloth strips. The last thing he was expecting was to be pulled into a strong hug and told that everything would be alright. What had happened while he was asleep?  
“Sung... what’s going on?” Rakken yawned as he struggled to sit up in the bed.  
“The ship-the ship’s computer! We found a safe planet! I can get you to a doctor!”  
Sung bounced on his heels as he tried to contain his excitement and relief.  
“That’s great, Sung.” Rakken smiled tiredly. In the back of his mind, he wanted to be excited about this with Sung. He wanted to imagine what visiting a whole new world would be like, but he was tired. Tired and in a considerable amount of pain. Sung had done a good job of cleaning and tying up the wound on his leg, but that did nothing for how achingly sore it was. The idea of finding a doctor sounded pretty good to Rakken and he hummed in amusement at the thought of being healed by a professional. “How soon?”  
“In uh, maybe forty-some minutes? Give or take?”  
“Huh. So I should really wake up for this then.” With a grunt, Rakken slid off of the bed, putting his weight on his good leg and Sung helped him to stand up.

Sung was a nervous ball of energy flitting about the ship as they neared their destination. He paced back and forth, bouncing as he walked. He felt like he could explode from excitement and nervousness as the minutes ticked by and Kestricury drew closer. Rakken sat idly by and watched the stars and satellites glide past the ship gracefully. The whole planet could still be seen from this distance and it sure was colorful. Vibrant blues and reds decorated Kestricury and large cities and buildings became increasingly more distinct the closer they got. Rakken felt like he was watching things from an outside perspective as if this wasn’t really happening right in front of him. He could almost believe that it was a dream if he could manage to ignore the gnawing pain in his left leg. Sung had helped him to change the bandages once more, but the hole in his thigh wouldn’t get better anytime soon at this rate. Sung, unable to bear the pressure of waiting in silence much longer wandered over to sit with Rakken.  
“So, this place we’re going to? It’s called, um, ‘Kestricury’. An-and the place is supposed to be really safe! And there are a lot of advertised places to live, and, uh...”  
“Sung,” Rakken sighed as he placed a large hand over one of Sung’s. “it’ll be alright.”

Sung steeled his nerves as he carefully piloted the Firestorm into the unfamiliar ship bay. It was a fair bit larger than the one back on Yulloth and there were more workers making sure things ran smoothly. In less than a minute of pulling the ship up to the hangar, a woman in a suit ran up to the ship, signaling where to land. Sung followed her directions and let the ship down gently, parking it between two other larger ships of varieties he’d never seen before. This was not the time nor place to marvel, however, and Sung jumped from his seat, ready to help Rakken stand.  
“This is it, Rakken,” Sung said anxiously, helping the injured man to his feet. “this is Kestricury. I’m going to get you help.”  
Deciding that Rakken was much more important than any luggage, Sung made a beeline for the door, draping some of Rakken’s arms over his shoulder for leverage as he waited impatiently for it to open all the way. The woman who’d helped them land came to greet them only to be met with the grisly sight.  
“Oh my goodness!” The woman squeaked in fear as she saw the bloody bandages on Rakken’s thigh. “That’s... Do-do you need medical help?”  
“Please!” Sung pleaded, louder than he had intended. “He was shot and needs a doctor!”  
The woman quickly whipped a small device out of her pocket and began tapping away at it. Soon after her fingers stopped moving, an automated drone Sung had never seen before rushed over to greet them. It carried what appeared to be a gurney and left it beside the woman as more workers in suits rushed to the scene.  
“We’ll get him to a doctor, don’t worry!” The woman assured Sung as she took Rakken in her arms and helped him to lay down on the gurney. Sung could do little but watch as the small crew ran off with Rakken, leaving him alone.


	21. Warm Welcome

Sung was caught in a whirlwind of emotions as the world rushed by without him. He felt like the world could crumble away beneath his feet, leaving him with nothing to cling to. As soon as Rakken was taken from him, he was back at the beginning of his journey. A stranger in a new world after leaving a planet full of death. Sung vaguely noticed some of the workers staring at him, causing his uneasiness to worsen. He headed back inside his ship for a moment only to return wearing his helmet. This felt better. He could see them but they couldn’t see him. At least not all of him.  
“...Sir? Excuse me, sir?” Sung turned to see that the woman had returned. She seemed just as uneasy about the situation as Sung, which helped him calm down in an odd way that he couldn’t put his finger on. It was like someone else cared the same way he did despite not knowing anything.  
“Is he going to be okay?”  
“Oh! That man? Yes, my coworkers dialed the local hospital where he will receive treatment.”  
“Hospital...” Sung parroted, copying the new word. “Rakken will see a doctor there?”  
“That’s how hospitals work, yes.” The woman giggled at Sung’s innocence. “Oh, yes! I’m meant to check your luggage and run you through customs!”  
Sung nervously opened the door to the ship once more and the woman hopped inside. Bringing out her device again, the woman began scanning the bags the two men had packed and left in the corner of the ship. Sung had no clue what she was doing, but he wasn’t about to question a woman doing her job.  
“Alllllll clear!” With a toothy grin, the lady gave a clawed thumbs up and stepped out of the ship. “Time for customs then! This way please!” And with that, the woman turned sharply on her heel and began walking, expecting Sung to follow her.

As Sung calmed down from his anxious fit he began to take in the scenery, slowly processing his surroundings. The ship bay was painted a calming blue and the ceiling was spotted with decorative lights that looked like small stars. The whole room seemed to look like an artistic rendition of space itself, only far more warm and inviting. Signs and posters covered the walls towards the exit of the hangar towards the city beyond. Some of them were written in languages that Sung had never seen before and he marveled at the knowledge he didn’t yet have. Eventually, his eye fell down to the woman walking in front of him. The first thing he’d noticed about her was her strikingly purple skin and large eyes. He hadn’t seen any aliens like her back on Yulloth and he was intrigued, to say the least. More intriguing still was the fact that she had a spiked tail when she turned around. It swayed back and forth as she walked and Sung’s hands began to itch with curiosity. Was it like a lizard’s tail; rough and scratchy? Or maybe a salamander’s; slick and smooth. He wanted to touch it. He needed to know what it felt like-  
“This way!” The woman chirped cheerfully, jarring Sung’s inner monologue and causing him to fumble over himself.  
“SO! Uh, how do customs work here?”  
“Oh, I just gotta do a quick background check! It shouldn’t take too long.”  
“Cool.” Was all he could muster as the woman turned around, showing Sung to a seat at a desk. She sat down on the other side and pressed a button, bringing up a holographic screen. Sung noticed a little placard sitting on the desk and did his best to read it.  
“Tasna?” Sung read aloud. “Is that your name?”  
“Hm? Oh, my nameplate. Yeah, that’s me!” Tasna smiled as she looked from the screen to Sung and back again. “Now sir, where would your planetary registration be from?”  
“Planetary... ah, well we just came from Yulloth, so-” no sooner had the words left his mouth than Tasna began typing away on her screen.  
“Yulloth huh? And what’s your name then?”  
“Sung.”  
“Sung?” Tasna pressed, expecting more. “Do you have a last name?”  
“...No?” Sung tilted his head in confusion.  
“That’s fine, not everyone has one!” Tasna chirped as she typed his name onto the screen and waited for a response. With an electronic chime, the info appeared on her screen. “Sung... living on Yulloth in a shared apartment with a Rakken Heilat... working as a scrapper? Sound about right to you?”  
“Yes, that’s right. We’re looking for a new place to stay.”  
“Well, then Kestricury’s a good choice! I know you had a bit of a rough arrival, but welcome to the planet!” Tasna held out her hand for a handshake and Sung gladly accepted. It was rough and scratchy. Lizard.


	22. Neoth Medical Center

Sung sat awkwardly in the backseat of a vehicle he’d never seen before and twiddled his thumbs as time passed by. One of the workers had been kind enough to offer a ride to the “hospital” where Rakken was receiving treatment. He was certainly grateful for the offer, but the more time passed, the more anxious he became. Rather than leaving his thoughts to fester and get the better of him, Sung decided to take note of his new surroundings once more. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t even bothered to lift his head until now.  
The vehicle they were riding in had a sleek interior design and he remembered from before they had entered that it was painted a deep shade of red. He could guess that it was largely composed of flexible metals and that the engine had some of the same components as any normal ship. They hovered a few feet above the ground and raced past other vehicles of the same sort in all different colors. The windows were rolled down and the wind rushed past the uncovered part of his face in a pleasant manner. The world around them seemed so much bigger than Sung had expected. It was filled with tall buildings and enormous electric signs. The people they passed were as different as could be as species of several types walked amongst each other. The city was filled with a mix of emotions that Sung could only begin to try and register, though he was relieved to find a lack of hostility.

The sky was a beautiful shade of purple as the sun set overhead. Neon lights flickered and sparked to life all over the city. A ragtag group of teenagers and children wearing light-up clothing mingled at a traffic light and Sung found himself admiring the odd fashion before the vehicle skimmed past them. Everything on Kestricury was so new to Sung, so much different than how things had been on Yulloth. The skyscrapers and bright lights made him feel so small but excited him in a way he couldn’t quite describe. Oh, he couldn’t wait to explore everything with Rakken once he was better. Rakken... Rakken would be okay. Sung had an awful feeling despite the injury being so small. An awful feeling that made his heart drop and his face heat up as tears threatened to spill yet again. No, this was silly. Rakken would be fine and then the two of them could go on adventures together and see all of the pretty lights and—  
“Yo, man, we’re here.” Sung whipped his head around as the driver spoke.  
“This is the, ummm... hospital?” Sung asked, staring out of the window once again. The building they were parked beside was multiple stories tall and light blue in color. Bold neon letters were adorned to the front, spelling “Neoth Medical Center” in bright green light.  
“Yup, let’s head on in.”  
Sung exited the vehicle alongside the worker who had driven him and suddenly his nerves were frayed to no end. He gave a small start as his legs buckled but quickly regained his composure. He couldn’t be a mess here, he had to stay strong for Rakken!

Rakken, meanwhile, was going through one hell of a medication-induced trip. The confused alien couldn’t make heads nor tails of his already confusing surroundings as the world blurred and shifted around him. The doctors had said something about sterilization? Stitches? He didn’t know what was going on but his leg felt funny, as if it were made of cotton and static. He laid back in his medical stupor and laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. He could barely feel his face or any of his arms, but his leg was so fuzzy. He watched the doctors and nurses gathered around him unravel the dressings on his thigh and continued to laugh as they put a mask over his face. Why was everything so funny? He couldn’t remember. It didn’t matter anyway, this mask was making him sleepy...


	23. Recovery

“We’re here to see a patient by the name of Rakken Heilat?”  
Sung fidgeted nervously as he watched the stranger behind the desk type away at their screen. The inside of the building was eerily sterile and bleached white. Everything smelled of antiseptic and the halls were filled with a quiet hush of voices trying not to speak too loudly. Sung didn’t know why he was so unbearably nervous, why he felt like screaming and tearing things apart despite not being able to find his own voice. His eye darted from medical charts to posters to informational signs to take in whatever information he could get his hands on. Nothing was enough to calm his mind. His heart hammered away in the hollow of his chest, threatening to crack open his ribcage, to burst freely from his chest, and search for Rakken for itself. Sung took in a shallow gasp of air as the monitor screen pinged.  
“Mr. Heilat should be waking up from his sedation shortly, may I ask your relation to him?”  
“Oh, that’s uh...” Sung faltered, tugging at the chinstrap of his helmet. “I’m his housemate? I live with him?”  
The person behind the desk nodded before turning to the man Sung was with.  
“Me? I’m just this guy’s chauffeur. The two of ‘em just showed up at the ship bay this afternoon.”  
“Alright then,” Sung stiffened as their attention was focused back onto himself. “you’ll want to go up two floors and look for room 3428. Tell anyone who asks you that you live with Mr. Heilat and you’ll be just fine.”

“3428, 3428...” Sung repeated the number to himself over and over as he climbed the flights of stairs. The number was the only thing keeping Rakken apart from him, and he was desperate to be reunited with his friend in this strange new place. As soon as he hit the third floor he took off running down the hallways. He bobbed and weaved around patients and workers as he searched for the right number. Why were there so many damn rooms?! Sung knew deep in his mind that he must be disturbing the residents, that the rooms were for sick and hurt people, like Rakken, but he was so worried that none of that mattered. He couldn’t lose another friend. Not here. Not now. He couldn’t be alone with his grief again.  
“3400!” Sung yelled excitedly as he finally saw a number close to what he was looking for. He ran faster than he thought possible with this burst of newfound energy and watched the numbers fly by on the little signs next to the doors of each room. Finally, he saw the number he was looking for. Room 3428.

“Ra-ha-hakken!” Sung panted, placing a hand on the doorframe to steady himself as the energy left his body. He grinned as the younger man turned slowly in his medical high to face him.  
“Ssssung?” Rakken slurred. He blinked hard. Once, twice, trying to fight his way through the haze clouding his mind. He gave a dopey smile and waved clumsily to his friend as his mind finally registered that the man standing in the doorway was in fact his friend.  
Sung stumbled closer to Rakken’s bed, his body suddenly hyperaware of how much stress he’d put it under. Rakken craned his neck to get a better look at his friend as his dulled senses slowly came back to him. Sung looked tired, even behind the bright sheen of his visor Rakken could tell that he was worried. “Mm alright Sung. They fixxxxed my leg up real nice, seee?” Rakken lazily pointed a finger towards his bandaged thigh. The work looked much cleaner than what Sung had managed in his panic and the bandages were a pristine white with no blood leaking through. That was enough to put Sung at ease.  
“Oh, hello,” A voice coming from behind him startled Sung into turning around. A very tall woman in a white coat loomed over them. “you must be ‘Sung’, yes”  
“Uh, y-yeah? How did you know?”  
“Mr. Heilat here made quite a fuss about you!” The woman giggled. “He wouldn’t stop talking about how great you are and how you saved his life.”  
Rakken groaned in embarrassment as he crossed his arms over his chest.  
“Did I really say those things?”  
“Honey, you talked for an hour straight praising this young man.”  
“Weeeeell you put me on all that dang medicine, so...”  
“Yes, we needed you on medication to stitch up your wound. Speaking of which, Sung, you did an excellent job keeping the area elevated and free from infection. I must thank you for your hard work.”  
“Oh!” Sung twiddled his thumbs in surprised embarrassment at the sudden compliment from the doctor-nurse-lady. He wasn’t sure which. “I mean, I just did what came naturally—you know, stop the bleeding! And blood comes from the heart, so you put the injury up high to slow the flow, and—“  
“Yes,” the woman cut Sung’s rambling off, placing a hand on his shoulder. “and what came naturally to you helped save this man. Have you ever considered work as a doctor?”  
“Ha! Sung? A doctor?” Rakken laughed. “He tinkers with machines all day!”  
“W-well! Maybe I could think about it!” Sung retorted, stomping his foot. “‘Doctor Sung’ doesn’t sound too bad to me!”

Sung and Rakken sat in the hospital room with the lights dimmed as they both stared out of the large picture window that revealed a panorama of the city. Sung’s helmet rested on the floor between the space both men shared. The rest of Neoth sat before them; uncharted territory for the foreigners to explore and see with their own eyes. It had been so many months ago when Sung first showed up on Yulloth, timid and alone in every sense of the word. Rakken had been the first alien he’d met back then in that tiny little hangar. He’d looked so big and scary when they’d first met, and now he knew that the man was a true softy.

Rakken took the pleasant silence between them to reminisce on the past several months since the strange young, yet ancient alien boy came into his life. Having been born on Yulloth, he’d grown up around his fair share of aliens, travelers and locals alike. He’d read about interstellar travel with great interest, taking whatever paths he could to ready himself for space travel. Though in the end, he’d be stuck in a dead-end job for a few hundred years. That wasn’t to say he didn’t enjoy working customs, reading through countless profiles and backgrounds, piecing together lives with little bits and pieces of information gathered from all over. But then Sung had come crashing into his life, a living tall-tale from a picture book in his living room. And now here he sat, on another planet next to the spindly, weak-looking man who’d just kicked another man’s head clean off to rescue him. He didn’t have the words to thank him... or conscious Rakken didn’t at least. The fact that they’d reached another planet so easily both frustrated and excited Rakken. This was what he’d dreamed of, and now it was right at his fingertips, but the doctor wanted him to stay overnight for physical therapy in the morning. The bullet wound had healed miraculously quickly thanks to a mixture of Sung’s care and Kestricury’s advanced medical treatment. Sung had assured Rakken that they’d explore once he was fully better, but the man could barely contain himself.

Sung was equally excited as he stared down at the streets below. Neoth was bright and colorful and... electric. There were so many machines surrounding them everywhere they turned. The bed Rakken sat in even had electronic parts hidden deep within. Lights flashed and twirled around in the city beyond the window, and Sung wanted to join in on the fun. He wanted to grab Rakken by the hand and just... jump out of the window! He fantasized about flying through the night sky without his ship, just the two of them with the brisk wind rushing against their faces. He knew it was silly and impulsive and impossible, but right here in this moment, Sung felt like he could do it.

“...Hey, Sung?”  
“Yeah?”  
“Are you... floating? I mean, I’m not hallucinating or anything?”  
Sung stared down at the floor, which now seemed somewhat farther away than before. He kicked his legs, gasping when he didn’t feel anything beneath them. He could _fly?_ oh this was going to need way more investigation. Sung grinned widely as he turned to Rakken.

“You are definitely not hallucinating.”


	24. Anxieties

Much of the night after that was spent with Sung laying upside-down on the ceiling and giggling like a lunatic. It was the first time in what had felt like forever since both Rakken and Sung had been so happy. Simply being here with each other, knowing that they were both okay, that had been enough to bring their smiles back. But now Sung was hovering over Rakken’s bed, practically glued to the ceiling and rambling about how some abilities must have “awakened” or something. Rakken could only laugh along at his friend’s excitement as the night flew by. The neon lights of the city outside lit up the dark room, casting shadows as the pair of odd friends talked. Sung stretched out an arm, watching as the light bent around his skin and left his outline on the wall. His yellow, starlike freckles that speckled his skin shone dimly in the darkness and cast little dots of light around the darker parts of the room. Sung smiled as an idea crossed his mind. He pushed himself away from the ceiling and twisted the upper half of his body. He twirled gracefully through the air as the light cast strange shadows and the tiny glowing specks covering his arms and face dotted the walls with false stars. Rakken watched Sung’s display in silent awe.

Sung was an increasingly confusing enigma to him. Just when Rakken had thought he’d figured him out, of course Sung would pull out a new trick like this. Of course he could fly. Of course he glowed in the dark. He was an ancient living myth who was several billions of years old and looked like a young teenager. Sure there were some things about his appearance that set him apart from others, but he was a person, simple as that. Yeah, his single eye and sharp teeth were strange, they weren’t exactly things you’d see every day, even for someone working Rakken’s job. But then not everyone had four arms like he did. Countless species of aliens coexisted alongside each other on so many different planets, so Sung wasn’t _too_ much of an oddity.  
“Hey Rakken, you okay?” Sung’s voice snapped the man out of his thoughts and he reflexively gave a thumbs-up with all four of his hands.  
“Yeah. Just thinking, y’know?“  
“Mm.” Sung nodded as he lowered himself to the floor, picking up his helmet. “It’s getting kind of late too. We’ve had a long day, why don’t we call it a night?”  
Before the words had even left Sung’s mouth Rakken caught himself yawning. Sung gave a soft chuckle and walked across the room. “Good night then, Rakken.”

Rakken’s physical therapy was going better than expected, which was wonderful, but meant that they’d need to leave the hospital soon. Sung paced back and forth nervously as he thought about what would need to happen. First, he’d need to find his way back to the ship bay and retrieve their belongings. Then he’d need to actually find a place for them to stay... It wasn’t like they hadn’t packed money, but Sung had no idea how much a house or apartment or whatever would cost. What if they didn’t have enough? What if they couldn’t find a place to stay? What if–  
“Excuse me, Sung?”  
Sung nearly jumped out of his skin the moment he realized he wasn’t alone. A very confused Tasna stood beside him. How long had she been standing there?  
“M-miss Tasna! What are you doing here?”  
“Work sent me over to pick you up. All of your things are still in your ship and you still need to arrange for a place to stay, right?”  
Ah- yes...” Sung mumbled as he wrung his hands nervously.  
“Don’t worry, we can discuss this on the road if you’d like.

Sung was a nervous wreck sitting in the passenger seat next to Tasna. He’d meant to say something, anything, but he was so worked up that he couldn’t get any words to come out. He wordlessly looked back and forth between the road ahead and the taller woman beside him.  
“You okay?” Tasna asked, not taking her eyes off of the road. “You’re kind of jittery.”  
“I’m... not really.” Sung sighed as he finally forced the words out. “We... we didn’t expect to come here, or even move really.”  
“Mhm, I get that.” Tasna nodded solemnly. “The crew got word of what happened on Yulloth. Lots of folks have been coming into the bay seeking shelter. Seen a lot of people in bad shape.”  
“...Did you take them to the hospital too?”  
“Of course! We’re not just going to let people die when we can help them!”  
Sung laughed a bit in relief. Tasna’s strong reaction was comforting and lifted his dampened spirit quite a bit, but there was still something weighing on his mind.  
“All those people, they’re going to need places to stay, right? What’s going to happen to them?”  
“You know, you’d be surprised how many people come through Neoth looking for a place to live. See those buildings scraping the clouds?” As she spoke, Tasna pointed a finger towards rows of incredibly tall buildings. “Those are all apartment buildings. Heck, our whole crew lives on the same floor in one of those. Rent’s dirt cheap and there’s always empty apartments.”  
“Really?” Sung asked in shock. The buildings were enormous and stretched up way past where he could see out of the window.  
“Yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys from Yulloth get put up in there.”  
Sung could do little but stare out of the window at the rows of apartment buildings. A mixture of excitement and pure relief washed over him as his face lit up. Not only was Rakken getting better, but their problems with housing were much more easily solved than he’d expected them to be. Maybe leaving Yulloth had been a blessing in disguise.


	25. Reunion

Sung bounded ahead of Tasna into the ship bay, surprise and excitement fueling his steps. Leaning against a newly parked ship was a familiar face. Sure, said face wasn’t even facing him, but Sung could tell who it was immediately from the dirty blonde hair and mottled red skin.  
“Moxy!?”  
“Wh-Sung?” The girl turned upon hearing the familiar voice. “Sung! Oh thank the stars you made it out okay!”  
“I could say the same to you!” Sung laughed though his chest constricted painfully. Moxy may have made it, but she wasn’t unscathed. Bandages covered her forearms and cuts and scrapes littered her face. The bay was full of new ships and cargo that certainly hadn’t been there before Sung had left for the hospital to see Rakken. There must have been at least a hundred ships there with even more passengers spilling out of them. The emotional energy in the air was intense and made Sung want to hide, but he needed to stay. Tears pricked at his eye, threatening to spill as sung tried to blink them back.  
“The others are in the ship,” Moxy sighed. “we all made it here okay. It was pure chaos back on Yulloth though.”  
“How... how bad was it?” Sung forced the question out as if the words burned in his throat. He remembered the fear-the terror of waking up to a blind panic sweeping through with a wave of death and destruction. The feeling the memory gave Sung sent a chill up his spine and he found himself hugging his arms to his chest for support.  
“It was... y’know, pretty ugly. Everyone was panicking, some people tried to fight back... Then there was this big explosion! Like with fire and stuff, but it was more scary than cool...”  
“Man, that sounds horrible!” Sung grimaced at Moxy’s words, unsure of how to react. They’d both just lost their homes; everyone here had lost Yulloth to that chaos.  
“Yeah, but someone apparently managed to take out this guard at the docks, and well... here we are.”

Wait.

Sung blinked. Once, twice. His voice stalled out as he opened and closed his mouth.

_What guard? It couldn’t be that guard. Not the one he’d killed..._

“Guh, wish I hadn’t seen the body. ‘Was pretty gruesome! Dude had his head ripped off or somethin’, I dunno, it was just gone!”  
“Y—y-yeah!” Sung could feel his insides twist in hot anxious guilt as his face flushed. “That sounds nasty! What an a-awful way to go, I mean! Wow!”  
“You okay dude? You’re shaking like a leaf.”  
“I’m... I’m good. I’m just, uh, really shaken up... you know?”  
“Mm, yeah I get it.”  
Before Sung could say anything to respond and drag this awkward conversation out any further, Moxy’s shipmates called from inside their ship. With a simple wave of the hand, Moxy disappeared inside leaving sung standing alone.

Right. He needed to start unpacking.


	26. Apartment Delta

After paying an unexpectedly small fee back at the ship bay, the refugees had been ushered into vehicles to make a one-way trip with all of their luggage. They were much larger than the ones Sung had ridden in before, being able to fit at least 20 people comfortably. Sung wanted to marvel at the new technology but he was much too tired to take everything in. The city was just beginning  
to wake up around the passengers as they traveled in anxious silence. Smaller vehicles skimmed alongside theirs as civilians made their way to unknown destinations. Electronic signs in storefronts flickered to life. Everything felt so peaceful, yet so jarringly different.

Sung stood amongst the large crowd of people, luggage resting at his feet. It was rather early in the morning as the pale, hazy orange sky shone with the radiance of the rising sun. Rakken sat cross-legged on the sidewalk as he rested his eyes. His injury may have been healed, but he was still wiped out from the entire experience. As much as Sung wanted to rest as well, his nerves were alight with emotional response; the anticipation and confusion of the crowd sparked through his brain and kept him abuzz with energy not his own. Aliens in a multitude of species and colors, many in varying states of injury, had been gathered here at this point. Sung recognized a handful of faces from his time on Yulloth, but the size of the crowd did little to calm his nerves. The people here were just like him and Rakken; all seeking a place to stay after the sudden attack on Yulloth. And where was _here?_ The ragtag group of refugees had been promised adequate housing for a prepaid fee, something that everyone had readily jumped at. As shady as the deal sounded, nobody wanted to risk life on the streets of a new planet without shelter. Sung and Rakken had arrived with the first group and had been waiting roughly half an hour for anything to happen. By the time the last vehicle was unloaded, everyone was beyond anxious for things to move along.

The crowd watched in hushed silence as one of the drivers approached the entrance to the tall building that loomed over them. The electronic doors slid open effortlessly. The minutes ticked by quietly as the city of Neoth buzzed around them. The cool morning breeze carried the scent of freshly baked goods from a nearby shop and the soft chirping of birds, but the group remained unmoved with their eyes trained on the sliding doors.

After what felt like an eternity, but in reality, had only been a few minutes, the doors slid open once more. The driver emerged from the building followed by a well-dressed man. Sung was nearly knocked back by the wave of surging emotions that came forth. The group rushed forward eagerly, ready to finally hear something, anything.  
“Now now, settle down folks!” The man laughed heartily as he raised his hands in mock defense. “I understand you all have come from a crisis situation, am I right?”  
The group fell quiet at the mention of the sore subject. It was true that they all shared the same burden, but the wound was still fresh. People were still injured, and many more likely traumatized by the event. Sad, hollow eyes stared back at the man expectantly.  
“Right, right... I apologize, that was rude of me. What I _should_ be talking about is the reason you’re all here this morning. All of you paid a housing fee before coming here. Before you stands one of several apartment complexes in central Neoth,” the man gestured behind himself at the tall building. “you’ll all be staying here, at building Delta. Our twenty-first floor was just renovated so nobody has been living in those apartments for quite some time.”

One by one, faces began to light up as the man spoke. Sung could feel the positive energy as it began flowing through the crowd. Hope and excitement were much more agreeable to the young empath than the overabundance of anxiety he’d been bombarded with since setting foot on the planet. Of course there was much to still be anxious about; moving into a new place on an entirely new planet was taxing, to say the least. Sung decided it would be a good idea to push those feelings down for the time being. This could be something fun, something positive! A new life in a sprawling city of lights and electronic wonder! Sung’s mind buzzed with ideas and renewed energy as the dawning realization of the positivity in this situation flooded him with adrenaline. He was distantly aware of people moving around him and of a large hand on his shoulder, probably Rakken’s.  
“You ready to head on in?” Rakken’s voice was gruff and he let out a long yawn after he spoke. Sung nodded eagerly as his mind snapped back to reality. Fighting back a yawn of his own, he reached down to pick up some of their luggage. Rakken towered over Sung as he lifted several bags with little effort. Sung was silently grateful for his strong friend and his four arms. Even with the burst of adrenaline he’d gotten, there was quite a bit of heavy lifting to be done.

The inside of the apartment building was much fancier than anything Sung had been expecting. Abstract light fixtures hung from the ceiling, bathing the lobby in a soft glow. What Sung could see of the floor where it wasn’t covered in colorful rugs looked to be made of polished stone tiles. It was much different than the buildings of Yulloth which were rustic and largely made of wood. Everything here was so foreign, smooth and straight, without imperfections. Sung found himself lost in thought once again as Rakken steered him forward. As they rejoined the crowd, the two men found themselves huddled around a long, ornate desk. Several people, likely staff for the building, stood behind the desk calmly as the crowd struggled to get as close as possible. Luggage bumped shoulders and children chattered inaudibly, drowned out by the commotion. Nobody was entirely sure what to do and it wasn’t long before the gathering of strangers became even more restless. It was only when a staff member spoke up that the crowd fell silent once more. Everyone watched quietly as a young couple cautiously made their way through the sea of people. Sung couldn’t understand what had been said, but from where he was standing it appeared as if they were reading something from a sheet of paper. The staff member handed something over to the couple, who both nodded appreciatively. Sung watched in confusion as the two broke away from the group and wandered further into the building.  
“Where are they going? What’s going on?” Sung asked, barely above a whisper, as he nudged Rakken in hopes of getting his attention.  
“I think they’re calling names. Must be givin’ out keys or something.” Rakken shrugged and stifled a yawn. As if on cue, another staff member called out to the crowd, summoning more people forward. Sung watched as the same thing happened with this person, then the next, and the next. It was a slow process, but the crowd was clearly getting smaller.

“Rakken Heilat and Sung?”  
Sung stiffened as he heard their names being called. This was it. Readjusting his grip on the bags he was carrying, Sung joined Rakken‘s side. Despite knowing that this was a good thing, Sung’s legs gradually turned to jelly with each step towards his destination. He felt all of his nerves return as the situation became frighteningly real in front of him.

_Calm down. It’s going to be alright. Calm down._

Sung jumped as a large arm slapped against his back, pushing him forward. Rakken shot Sung a reassuring smile as he approached the desk.  
“That would be us.” Rakken stated, glancing from Sung to the worker behind the desk.  
“Alright, let’s see... two residents... you’ll be staying in apartment 35.”  
With a perfect smile, the worker held out a hand. The two nodded and reached out to accept the shiny, metallic keys to their new home.


	27. Apartment 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here’s an update to a normal fic to give some respite from _those_ recent TWRP fics.

Neither Sung nor Rakken had seen a door quite like this one before. It looked vaguely like a door you might see inside a ship and was clearly mechanical in nature. Hesitating slightly, Sung pressed the triangular button to the left of the strange door just as he had seen many others do before him. The button lit up with a soft glow after being pressed, though the door remained closed. The two men shared a confused glance towards each other when suddenly mechanical noises could be heard from behind the closed metal door. As the noises subsided, a chime sounded and the door split down the middle to slide apart, disappearing into the walls. Sung and Rakken were left staring into a small, empty room. Their curiosity piqued, the two stepped inside. On the wall inside of the room next to the door were an array of buttons labeled from 40 to 1 in descending numerical order. Rakken eyed the many buttons as he set his bags on the floor, this room was likely part of some device designed to take them to their intended floor. Nodding to himself, Rakken pressed the button labeled 21. Sung squeaked in surprise as the door slid back together, sealing them inside the tiny room. The mechanical noises resumed, now coming from all around them. An odd shift in pressure inside the box they called a room caused the two men to stumble unexpectedly.  
“Wh-what’s happening?” Sung asked as he clung tightly to his luggage and forced his back against a wall.  
“I think we’re bein’ taken to another floor.” Rakken responded casually as he pointed to a digital screen above the door.  
Numbers flashed on the screen, rising in numerical order. 17, 18, 19, 20, 21—they stopped at 21.  
The room seemed to shudder a bit and Sung screwed his eye shut in anxiety. The door separated once more in front of them, but the area laid out before them was unrecognizable; this was no longer the lobby. Like Rakken had said, they had indeed been taken to another floor. Cautiously, Sung stepped out of the small room and onto the dark blue, carpeted floor. A plaque hung on the wall opposite the strange room they had traveled up in informed Sung that this was in fact the twenty-first floor of the building. Rakken shuffled up next to Sung after retrieving his bags to observe the writing on the plaque.  
“If we’re 35, we should head this way...”

Fitting his key into the lock on the door labeled ‘35’, Sung twisted until he heard a distinct click. Pushing the door open, the two were met with a dark, quiet room. Fumbling for a few moments, Sung’s hand brushed against a switch on the wall. Flipping the switch, an overhead light fixture embedded into the ceiling turned on, illuminating their surroundings.  
The room the two found themselves standing in was much larger than anything they’d been expecting. To their right sat a full kitchen with a small table to sit at. The rest of the room could be considered a living area of sorts, with empty shelves, chairs, a low table, and an elongated seat with cushions that looked like it could fit more than one person. The one thing that obviously stood out was positioned opposite the elongated seat and embedded into the wall. A large black screen that appeared to be powered off sat on the wall of their apartment. Sung nearly dropped his bags in shock at the sight of everything. Rakken, on the other hand, made himself busy with exploring their new home. Setting the bags he was carrying down once more, Rakken excitedly began examining the large room and its furnishings. With a wide smile on his face, Rakken stretched his four arms out and turned in a slow circle.  
“ _This_ is where we get to live?!” the man exclaimed before letting out a hearty bark of a laugh.  
Sung hurriedly removed his helmet and set his own bags down alongside Rakken’s, joining him in an excited frenzy. Rushing towards a closed door, he flung it open, curious to see what was behind it.  
“Bathroom!” Sung shouted over his shoulder. Rakken, mimicking his behavior, stood before another newly opened door.  
“A closet!” Rakken laughed.  
“What about these two?” Sung questioned aloud as he ran across the room. Rakken followed Sung down what appeared to be a short hallway with a door on either side.  
“Let’s each open one, okay?”  
Nodding in response, Sung gripped the doorknob of the door on the left as Rakken took the right. In unison, both men opened their respective doors and stepped inside. What waited for them on either side were mirror images of the same room. A moderately sized room with a bed, a nightstand with a lamp, a simple desk with a chair, and a window facing the street far below.  
“This is way too great, we must be dreaming!” Rakken’s muffled voice came from within the room he’d opened but was ignored as Sung was lost in his own thoughts. There was so much to process, so much to think about, to do, to learn... Sung ran a hand through his messy brown hair as he sighed. This was all just so much, and to Sung, nothing in this moment sounded better than not having to think for even a second. Even as he heard Rakken’s voice from the next room over, Sung found himself gravitating towards the bed. A real bed, not a stiff chair, wall to lean against, or even the cot from his ship. A real bed. Gracelessly, Sung let himself fall forward onto the thick sheets. The mattress had a satisfying bounce to it and his head sunk effortlessly into the pillows. This was nice... and comfortable. Comfortable was a nice change of pace for the weary traveler and Sung soon found his consciousness peacefully drifting further away.  
“Sung—?” Rakken poked his head through the door only to quickly cover his mouth with a hand. Sung laid sprawled out face-down on top of the bed, snoring softly. He hadn’t even bothered to get under the covers. Rakken smiled at the peaceful scene before him. Sung had seemed so energetic just a few minutes ago, but it looked like the stress of the past few days had finally caught up to him. Rakken bowed his head in silent understanding and gently closed the door.

When Sung awoke to a sky full of stars and the sensation of his bare feet in the sand, he knew immediately that he was dreaming. The cool sea breeze whipped around him, carrying the distinct smell of saltwater. The moonlight reflected on the purple waves was beautiful and the water was almost like a mirror image of the night sky. The hand holding his own was warm and small. It gripped tightly to Sung’s fingers and gently tugged at his arm. Sung wanted to look, but he was scared. He didn’t want to relive this, not now after he’d come so far. He was scared to see the face that he knew he’d never see in the waking world again.  
“Sung?”  
That voice... no, he wouldn’t look.  
“What’s wrong?”  
He couldn’t.  
“Why are you crying?”  
“...Stone-“ Sung was surprised by the fragility of his own voice.  
“I’m here, Sung.”  
He didn’t want to look, to see his brother, but he had little choice. His head seemingly turned of its own volition to face Stone. He was... small, almost a full foot shorter than him. Had he really grown that much since he’d left Stellaisan?  
More tears welled in Sung’s eye, threatening to overflow and add to the unending waterfall cascading down his face. Stone was so _young_ , and he’d been robbed of his future.  
“Stone... I’m so sorry...”  
“For what?” Stone stared up at Sung innocently. He looked so full of life.  
“For not... for not being able to save you.”  
“Oh, Sung,” Stone gently took Sung’s other hand in his own. Their unique, starlike freckles lit up the darkness around them, mimicking the real stars that they loved so dearly. “you have to know that wasn’t your fault. I was already too sick to be saved.”  
“But I-“  
“I appreciate you wanting to save me more than you’ll ever know. But you’ve been honoring my last wish, and that alone means the world to me.”  
Sung opened his mouth to reply, but no sound came out. He simply stood there, holding Stone’s small hands in the cold sand as seawater threatened to rush over their feet with each passing wave. Each tear that fell was like a secret message between the two brothers, unspoken but still understood.  
“I’m proud of you, Sung.” The unexpected words knocked the air out of Sung’s chest and left him floundering as Stone smiled sincerely. “Look how far you’ve come. You’ve traveled to new planets, made friends, and even saved a life!”  
“St-Stone...” Sung’s voice cracked as another sob wracked his body.  
“I really couldn’t have asked for a better brother, you know that?” Stone shook his head, chuckling, and released his grip on Sung’s hands. “Tell Rakken I said hi, okay?”

Sung blinked tears out of his eye as he slowly sat up. His sleep-addled brain was barely able to remember their recent move as he stared blankly around the unfamiliar room. He was still fully dressed and sunlight was streaming through the window beside him. Sunlight? How long had he slept for? Sung shook his head as if to rid himself of the thought. It didn’t matter. There was only one thing that mattered; the message he had to convey to Rakken.  
On unsteady legs, Sung shakily opened the door and made his way down the short hallway while leaning against the wall. Rakken sat in the living area, minding his own business when Sung stumbled in.  
“Oh, Sung! You’re awa-“  
“Rakken.” Sung cut him off with a surprisingly sharp tone of voice. “Stone says hi.”  
Rakken knit his brow, clearly confused by this message, but that quickly gave way to alarm as Sung collapsed to the floor.


	28. Sick

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm back on my bullshit!

Rakken was at Sung’s side in seconds. He didn’t understand what was happening or what Sung had just told him, but that didn’t matter right now. Sung had been asleep for little more than an entire day only to wake up, say some cryptic nonsense, then pass out. Rakken gently lifted his unconscious friend from the hardwood floor of their new apartment and laid him out on the soft cushions of the long seat. Sung looked deathly pale and his face was flushed yellow, which did nothing to calm Rakken’s nerves. His expression was one of anguish, even while unconscious. Leaning over the sickly Celyst, he checked Sung’s temperature by placing the back of his hand against his forehead. As he’d expected, Sung was hot to the touch. How long had he been like this?

Eager to help Sung recover, Rakken rushed to the fridge to grab some ice. He was thankful that he’d prepared some with their freezer while setting aside groceries he’d bought the day before as Sung slept. Wrapping the ice in a thin towel, Rakken hurried back to Sung to place the shoddy homemade cold compress over his forehead. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much Rakken could do at this point but wait. He didn’t even fully understand what was wrong with Sung. He barely knew anything about Celysts in the first place and much less about their biology. Rakken knew that they were one of the few species with “magic”, but that was too vague to be of any use in a scenario like this. Hell, the most knowledge he had was taken straight from a storybook! He deeply regretted not asking Sung more questions, no matter how uncomfortable it may have made the situation. Hell, he wasn’t even sure if what he was suffering from was anything curable! As far as Rakken knew, it could have been something that only his species could contract. Even if this was just a normal fever, knowing something, anything else, may have helped—  
Rakken was snapped out of his thoughts by a clammy hand grasping at his forearm. Sung whimpered in obvious discomfort, though he appeared to remain unconscious. He writhed and violently shook his head as if he was denying something. His yellow freckles’ brightness seemed to pulse rhythmically. The hand gripping Rakken’s arm squeezed uncomfortably tightly, but he didn’t dare pull away. Something was wrong with Sung, and he was going to stand by him during it.

Hours passed as Sung remained lost in his own mind, unable to wake up. He looked as if he were in the throes of some horrible nightmare with his face contorted in a mixture of fear, sadness, and pain. Occasionally Sung would grunt or mutter something unintelligible, but he never appeared any closer to waking. Rakken was trapped in a slow, never-ending cycle of replacing the ice and waiting by Sung’s side. Rakken couldn’t help but wonder if this was how Sung had felt when he had been hospitalized a few days ago. He’d been quite worried when Sung hadn’t woken up the day before, but he had also seen how exhausted Sung had been. Rakken had assumed that he simply needed the rest. Taking Sung to the hospital himself wouldn't be such a bad idea, though there was the issue of not exactly knowing where the hospital was, or how to even get Sung there. The last thing Rakken wanted was to leave Sung alone in his current state. He had no idea what was wrong with him in the first place and he certainly didn’t want anything to happen when he wasn’t there.

No matter how many times Rakken changed Sung’s cold compress, his fever wouldn’t break. His body was still worryingly hot and he didn’t look any better than when he had first collapsed. Rakken paced around the apartment as he racked his brain, trying to think of anything that could possibly help in this situation. It became embarrassingly clear to Rakken that he knew fairly little about Celysts. He’d avoided the subject so he wouldn’t risk upsetting Sung, but that left him clueless now.  
“Come on you idiot! Think! _Think!_ ” Rakken berated himself as he continued pacing back and forth as Sung laid unconscious. Panicking would do him no good, maybe if he could write things down… Stopping briefly to dig a notebook and pen from a bag he hadn’t finished unpacking, Rakken flipped it open. He tapped the pen against his forehead, knitting his brow as he resumed his pacing and tried to think of what he knew.

\- If nothing happened, a Celyst could potentially live forever  
\- A sickness wiped out Sung’s home planet  
\- Celysts had magic  
\- SUNG has magic

Okay, this was a good start! Maybe it was something magic related?

\- Sung is a technomancer  
\- Sung made their old apartment shake that one time when he got really upset  
\- Maybe enhanced strength because of the guard incident?  
\- Sung can fly

Rakken stared down at the notebook, reading his notes over and over. What could he learn from this? There had to be _something!_ Okay, okay, think… Sung could use technomancy whenever he wanted, but what were the catalysts for the last three?

\- When the old apartment shook, Sung was really sad. It seemed to stop when he calmed down?  
\- Sung killed that guard after I got shot. He said that he had been really angry  
\- The other night when Sung had started flying, he looked really happy

Rakken’s pacing slowed to a stop as the pieces fell into place before his eyes. _Emotions!_   
It all made sense now! He could vaguely remember Sung saying something about being an empath, and Celyst magic was tied to emotions! Now he just needed to find a way to use this information to actually help him. Looking over to Sung, Rakken could clearly see that he still looked like he was in distress. Maybe since their magic was tied to emotions, negative emotions were somehow bad for them? Sung had certainly been through a lot of awful things recently, so that wasn’t too far of a stretch to believe…. Did that mean that Rakken had to find a way to make him happy again? How was he supposed to do that if he wouldn’t wake up? With a heavy sigh, Rakken walked back over to the long seat to sit on the floor next to Sung. He’d just have to try his best…

-

Sung could feel himself sinking further and further down into the inky abyss of black nothingness. He didn’t feel right… it was too hot and too cold at the same time and everything ached. He didn’t want to be alone. Where was Rakken? The only thing he could see was himself, as everything around him had been engulfed by the dark. His hands were small and weak, like a child’s, and coated in so much yellow. The overwhelming stench of blood and rot was suffocating. Sung trembled as the combined sight and smells triggered old memories. No… he didn’t want to see this nightmare again. But he had never seen a nightmare as vivid as this one, it felt much too real. Sung hastily wiped the blood from his hands onto his clothing and screwed his eye shut. This wasn’t real, it couldn’t be. He’d already lived through this hell in the waking world, and he wanted out.  
“Sung…” A weak voice called out from behind him. No, he’d ignore it.  
“Suung…” Another voice croaked.  
“Suuung…” He wouldn’t look-  
Sung yelped as a small hand grabbed his ankle. Whipping around to face his assailant, Sung’s blood ran cold at what he saw.  
His classmates, kids he had known, laid on the “ground” as they struggled to crawl towards him. Their bodies were covered in bright yellow blood and they looked like living corpses.  
“Why _you_ , Sung?”   
“Why do you get to live?”  
“You left us behind...”  
“Were we not good enough?”  
“Unfair… Unfaaair…”

Sung clasped his hands over his mouth as tears streamed down his face. This was a nightmare, just a nightmare! But that didn’t matter. Nightmare or not, Sung couldn’t stop shaking in fear. They had him surrounded and were only getting closer. The closest of the kids grasped blindly at Sung’s legs, digging their nails in until his blood mixed with theirs. Sung wanted to scream but he found himself paralyzed. Why couldn’t he wake up already?!”

“Why do you want to wake up, dear?” A voice cut through the darkness as its owner’s footsteps drew closer.  
“Don’t you miss us?” Another voice joined in, a sickly sweet kindness masking their words.  
Slowly, a pair of young adults stepped out of the shadows, hand in hand. They didn’t look much better than his classmates as they shambled forward.  
“M-M-Mommy? D-Daddy?” Sung choked out as his parents crept closer.  
“Why don’t you join us, Sung?”  
“Why yes, that’s a wonderful idea, sweetie! Then all four of us can be together again!”  
“N-no…” Sung managed to shake his head. He didn’t want this!

A loud, raspy cough came from behind Sung, worsening with every breath. He wouldn’t look. _He wouldn’t look._ It was scary. So scary, and painful... He just wanted to wake up already!

-

_**”AAAAAAAAAAAHH!”**_ Sung screamed in his sleep as he suddenly thrashed about.  
“Sung!” Rakken shouted instinctively in response. This was the closest Sung had been to waking up and he wasn’t about to let that chance slip away. “It’s okay, It’s okay!”  
 _“I-I… I WON’T!”_  
Sung reached out a hand blindly as he choked back a sob. Rakken took Sung’s hand in one of his, holding tight.  
“I’m here, it’ll be okay…” Rakken tried to keep his voice steady as he watched Sung struggle.  
“I-I—I…” Sung panted, a look of confusion crossing his face. “Rak—Rakken?”  
“It’s me, Sung. You need to wake up!”

-

Sung could have sworn he could hear Rakken’s voice over the cacophony of cries of the dead.  
“Rakken?!” Sung shouted into the void as he did his best to push the monsters away. “Rakken!”  
He could feel a warm weight in the palm of his left hand, as if a hand was trying to drag him out of the depths. Though it sounded like he was underwater, he could distinctly hear a gentle, pleading voice calling to him. He had to wake up.

-

“...Rakken?” Sung asked tentatively as he slowly opened his eye, trying to focus on the figure beside him. Before he could properly register what was happening, he was pulled into a hug by four strong arms.

**Author's Note:**

> I made up the name Celyst as a spin on the word celestial. If you’re curious what my Sung looks like, here’s my facecanon!  
> https://justice-acolyte.tumblr.com/post/176145625795/ive-still-never-really-done-a-serious-pic-of


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